#-if you keep being stubborn about it. go outside . look at some trees . breath some fresh air and gain your sense of fucking whimsy back -

[fiomeras]

I think the most miserable saddest people are the ones who shun all forms of love and anything positive as something childish and corny in favour for only edgy shit because they think constant pain and violence will make them deep or interesting. Btw.

[isoliawrites]

I'm here

Sully Family x Son!Reader

Word count: a lot

01 02

Prologue

⚠️ : Blood, Swearing

Y/n was the second youngest member of the sully family. Born on 2157, he is one year younger than Lo'ak and Kiri. Y/n was born with a streak of white hair and the color of his skin was lighter than an avatar. He was also a bit small compare to his siblings. Physically Y/n was told that he would be weak and not as strong as a normal avatar, this was said by the other scientists seeing that Y/n had a hard time breathing right after he qas born, but Jake believed that Y/n is just as strong as his siblings.

One thing that concerns them is Y/n's hair. It was never seen before and Jake had to explain to Neytiri back at Earth there are some people with heterochromia that could result different colors in their body. Neytiri might still be confused about it but when she saw Y/n for the first time she immediately loved him. The only left is how others view him.

Growing up Y/n never really interacted with others because he could feel the weird stares from them even if he was a child. Some of them have already gotten used to Y/n's appearance but the other kids might see his hair a bit weird, resulting in Y/n finding it hard to make friends. But he got his family so why should he be worried?

"Wait for me!!" Little Y/n said as he tried to keep up with his siblings, the kids were running through the forest trying to hide from their parents as they were playing a series of police game their father taught them. "Don't be too loud Y/n! They'll hear us" Kiri said to him while running. Neteyam leads the pack as they went under the leaves and roots of the trees. He stopped and looked at his younger siblings, "Let's split up so we don't lose immediately like last time"

They immediately scattered and Y/n follows Neteyam to his hiding spot. "Y/n? Go you need to hide" Neteyam pushed Y/n away "b-but we always hiwde together" Y/n said as he grabs Neteyam's hand with both of his own. "Y/n..." Neteyam can't stand his baby's brother cuteness "Alright alright you can hide with me but don't be noisy" "Yay!"

"Y/n!" Neteyam shushed him as he giggles

Not even a couple of minutes both of you can hear Lo'ak screaming and running away as your father's voice was not far heard. Neteyam peaked through the small crack between the rocks and saw Lo'ak being drag by his father to the jail area. "Alright, Y/n I need you to stay here until either I get back or dad"

"Okay...but return fast" Y/n held up his little pinky to Neteyam. He smiled and seals the pinky promise, then he sneakily went outside to try and save his stubborn other brother.

Y/n was left alone in a dark hiding spot, minutes went by and he hide there patiently waiting for his parents or Neteyam to find him. He was getting tired and bored of waiting.

He can't help but get excited when he heard a rustle, and thought it was someone coming to find him so he just gets out of his hiding spot. But when he got out he instead saw an adult thanator looking at him. Y/n screamed and runs away as it started to chase after him.

Jake and Neytiri were busy chasing around the other kids and keeping them in place when suddenly they heard Y/n's scream. They both looked at eachother with panic in their eyes "Oh my Eywa, Y/n!" Neytiri shouted, Jake took off running towards the direction. Praying and hoping he'll be alright.

Y/n ran as fast as his little legs can take him but the thanator was getting close and closer every minute. Luckily Y/n saw a small opening under a tree that was located near a ledge that leads to a pond. He immediately tries to get there but before he could the creature clawed one of his leg, causing Y/n to fall over the ledge. He rolls down and landed near the pond. At this point Y/n was shouting and crying for his dad, the pain on his legs didn't make it better either.

The creature landed infront of him, ready to attack again when Jake finally caught up and throws the spear at the creatures abdomen causing it to immediately fall and scram. Luckily he had a spear because he had just finished hunting today.

"Y/N! Oh my god, no no no.." Jake held Y/n in his arms carefully, his hand was stained with Y/n's own blood. "D-daddy..I-I'm scared" "I know baby, I know come on we'll get you home. Stay awake for me alright?" Jakes tries his best to stop the bleeding but then Y/n screamed "It hurts daddy!" Jake was shaking at this point because Y/n was loosing blood. He carefully lifts him up in his arms and began to ran back while carefully trying not to make the pain worse.

"I-It..hurts..." Y/n managed to say as his eyes were getting drowsy little by little. "Y/n! Wake up! Come on don't sleep, everything's going to be fine- baby come on be strong. We're almost home" Jake keeps on repeating it but as much as Y/n tried to stay awake, the pain and exhaustion gets to him eventually.

Y/n can hear his father shouting for him but he can't make up the words. Before Y/n passed out, the last thing he hear was Neytiri's scream

Y/n slowly opens his eyes and saw that he was in a room full off machine and some are attached to him. Y/n began to panic and tries to get up but the doors immediately opened "Y/n!" He saw his mother came into the room and his first instinct was that he wanted to be held by his parents.

He reaches for Neytiri and she went to Y/n's side, holding his hand and hugging him. Y/n sobbed a little as Neytiri kisses his forehead to comfort him while thanking Eywa for saving his life.

Not long after Y/n heard another footsteps and it was Jake, with a baby in his arms. Y/n knew immediately that it was his baby sister. Jake gives the baby to Neytiri and went to lay next to Y/n carefully and he leans into his father's warmth.

Jake wipes away his tears and also kisses his forhead. After Y/n stopped crying his attention shift to the small sleeping figure. "What is her name?" Neytiri smiled at him before answering, "Tuk. Tuktirey te Suli Neytiri'ite" "Tuwk. She's so small" Y/n repeats, and Jake chuckles at his son.

Y/n tries to remove the wires attached to him but Jake quickly stops him "Don't, Y/n."

"But.." Y/n quietly say as Neytiri held his hand. "I know... we'll get if off as soon as you're better alright?" He said as he stroked your hair.

"Is your leg still hurting?" Jake asked and Y/n shakes his head "Can I still play with Lo'ak, Nete, Kiri and Spidew?" Y/n asked

"Of course you can, but first you need to rest so you can get better" "But I want to sleep in my bed with daddy and mommy... I don't want to sleep here.." Neytiri squeeze Y/n's hand reassuringly. She can't stand seeing her child in this state. When Jake came back with Y/n, she was scared to death seeing him bleeding and unconscious. She was also close with her due and she doesn't want to lose a child on an important day.

Y/n was out for a couple of days and Jake had to make sure that Neytiri isn't stressing out because it might harm the baby. Neytiri was heartbroken because Y/n was so excited to meet his little sister. Thankfully Neytiri was able to deliver safely and the baby was healthy.

Y/n had to stay there for a while and he hated every single second of it. He felt scared and alone. He cannot see his siblings yet other than Tuk who was aslsep in his mother's arms mostly. Neytiri and Jake make sure to take turn to visit Y/n every single day.

He thought that everything would be back to the way it used to be but since that event Y/n was forbid to be out of Jake's sight or even go out to the forest alone or with his siblings. He was only allowed to go if either Neytiri or Jake was with him. In result Y/n spends his time almost everyday at home.

At first he was alright with it, thinking that Jake just wanted to protect him. But as time passes he started to notice that he also was constantly overlooked by his father and when he asked him to go and train together with Nete and Lo'ak he would always refused. Sometimes Y/n was upset with his father and often felt ignored by him until to the point where he felt like his father forgot he existed. All of this started when the sky people came back, of course it was the more reason he wasn't allowed to go out to the forest.

<Present day>

Y/n was with his grandmother, Mo'at. It was really something he would do around the camp. He only ever went out with either his parents and it was only on special occasions. Y/n was dying of boredom and he would always felt sad and jealous when the others can go out and play while he would have to stay behind. Tuk would sometime sneak out with the rest but Jake was too soft on her and she would get away with it.

Well let's say that Y/n didn't have the same privilege as Tuk. And sure the event he had was traumatic but sometimes he longed to be in the forest. He had asked Jake about it and his answer was always like "your not careful enough"

He would spend his time learning about making things from scratch, listening to music/radio that Jake gave him, and helping around the camp. Sometimes helping Kiri tend to the wounded.

Suddenly Tuk came in jumping with joy "Y/n! Come on! They are here!" Before Y/n could react Tuk takes his hand and drags him out of the tent.

Outside he saw Kiri and Spider "Y/n do you feel better?" Kiri asked, and Y/n responded with a nod. "Why did you sneak inside there bro? You know that place isn't for playing around.." Spider commented. "I was just curious" Y/n folded his arms in annoyance. "Plus dad already scolded me, so sadly I don't need anymore scolding monkey brain." Y/n chuckles a bit before running to catch up on Tuk "Hey! It's monkey boy. Not monkey brain!"

Tuk ran to their mother while Y/n noticed that their father looked pissed. He looks at his brother, Neteyam and noticed that he is injured. He knew where this is going so he just greeted his mother first, "Are you feeling alright Y/n?"

"I'm okay" he responded quietly and hugged his mother. Neytiri hugs him back and stroke his head, yesterday Y/n accidentally inhaled a black powder from opening a bullet in the armory. He coughed uncontrollably and had a hard time to breathe, luckily Norm and Jake was there.

Neytiri never hated those weapons more in her life and for sometime she was upset that they are raiding the sky people's weapon. As he was treated Neteyam and Lo'ak stayed beside him, Y/n was always their 'baby brother' since they were kids. Not only that, because of his white hair he was always picked on by other kids and his brothers are the one who always defended him.

After greeting his mother, Y/n stared at Neytiri and asked "Mother, when can I join you and dad? Also can I please try and seek my own ikran? I'll be careful.." Neytiri couldn't resist his son's pleading but she can't do much if her husband hasn't agree with it. "When the time comes you may, you know your father is very cautious of the sky people" "But what if my ikran comes by itself and friendly? Like Kiri" Neytiri chuckles "Your not Kiri, you are Y/n." She caress Y/n's cheek gently as he huffs in disappointment, then Tuk joined the conversation "What about me mommy?" "You know the answer Tuk" Neytiri said as she picked her up

Y/n looked at his brothers who were being scold by their dad, Y/n couldn't stand it anymore, it is always the same thing again and again. Lo'ak gets into trouble and Neteyam always tries to protect Lo'ak from their father's wrath. But this time their father keep on scolding them while Neteyam is injured. Finally Y/n speaks up "Neteyam is hurt." Jake looks at him "Yes. I am aware-" "then we should treat the wound" Y/n cuts him off. It was silence for a moment until Jake speaks again "Kiri, help with the wounded."

"My brother is also injured" Kiri said implying to what Y/n said earlier. "Father, I take full responsibility" Neteyam tried to ease his father's wrath but Jake responds back "Yes, because you are the oldest and you must behave accordingly." Y/n grabs his mother's hand and looked at her. Neytiri understood what he meant and finally speaks "Ma Jake, your son is bleeding"

"It doesn't matter, mother."

"Yes it does. It could get infected" said Y/n. Jake looks at him before looking at his wife. "Go in and get patched up" Neteyam was dismissed and the others went along with Kiri except Y/n.

Jake looks at Lo'ak "You must be aware that you almost had your brother killed. You are banned from flying for a month." Lo'ak stayed silent, accepting the punishment

Since the sky people invaded back Jake has been quite hard on his sons and Y/n being the youngest was also included. Despite that Y/n still can't venture out to the forest anymore since they have to go on hiding and he was forbid to go to the forest alone even though he was already old enough. Lo'ak and the others were allowed only until eclipse but Y/n was still not allowed. The worse part is that he never gets an explanation from Jake.

Y/n remembers the time back when he was younger his father was not this strict and he nevers get mad at them, "Look at me" Y/n was snapped back to reality. He looked around and Lo'ak was already gone.

Jake crouched down to look at his youngest son, Y/n slowly looks at him. He never spends anymore more time with his father as he grew older because Jake was so focused on Lo'ak and Neteyam. "So how are you feeling?" Jake asked, Y/n was surprised by the question "I'm fine.." was all he could say. He wanted to hear those words since yesterday but Jake left because there was a problem.

"Y/n...I know how much you want to be out there but we both that you're not ready yet" he said while looking at Y/n. Jake always knew deep down he can't keep him forever in the camp because Y/n was just as stubborn like him. This wasn't the first time Jake disscuss this with Y/n because he would always ask him if he has the chance. Y/n wanted to protest but he can't because he still respects his father.

Jake then stands up and began to walk away, Y/n looked back at his father and mustered up the courage to stop him. "Dad! Then can we please spend time together? I want to go out and explore....and I missed you" the last part was very quiet but Jake hears it. Jake thinks for a moment before looking back at Y/n, his eyes was not as grumpy as before. "Underneath the big old tree?" Y/n's ear perked up, he was happy that his father still remembers that place. Y/n nodded and Jake left to do his other work.

Y/n went inside the tent and as usual it was lively and noisy because mostly it was Neteyam hissing from the pain while their grandmother treat his wounds. "You alright Nete?" Y/n asked, "Never been better- ow!" he winced again. Kiri voiced her opinion about using Yalnabark to Mo'at but she reminded her who was the tashik here, Y/n knew that Kiri was going to be a great tashik one day, after witnessing her relationship with Eywa he couldn't help but be amazed by her. He sat beside Lo'ak and stroke his hand, although he was younger than Lo'ak, Y/n has always been there to comfort him. Lo'ak looks at him and leans his head on Y/n's shoulder.

Outside, Neytiri approached her lover "What is it" Jake asked. "Neteyam and Lo'ak try to live up to you. It's hard for them."

"I know" Jake answered

"And Y/n. You are hard on them." Neytiri added, "I'm their father. That's my job" he told her. Neytiri puts her hand on his shoulder and looked at him "This is not a squad. This is family" Her tone serious. Jake stops whatever he was doing and exhale for a moment "I thought we had lost him. It's the same feeling when Y/n had that accident and that memory replays on my mind"

Neytiri looks at him for a moment. It was a traumatic event for the family especially when Y/n was the youngest at that time. Neytiri cups his lovers face and makes him look her in the eyes, "Ma Jake. He is here, with us. Alive and safe, can't you see that?" "He was only four when that happend. If only I had been quicker on-" Neytiri interrupts him with a kiss which is something rare "Stop blaming yourself for something that you cannot prevent" Jake still blames himself with what happends to Y/n and just hours ago he almost lost his other sons.

Y/n's POV

The next day went just like I predicted. I was so stupid to think that it could come true. Dad has problems to take care of so he can't spend time with me. Again. I can only think positively that there would always be a next time or a next day. I was extremely sad and upset with him so I went inside my tent to make an accessory for Tuk, at first I felt fine when dad said that to me.

But then now I felt like someone that's.. not even there, useless compare to my older siblings. I wasn't strong like my brothers, or smart and special like Kiri or even as bright and joyful like Tuk... A tear suddenly dropped down from my eye without me even realizing, dad doesn't care how I feel. Am I really that weak?

Suddenly someone came into the tent, I quickly wipe my tears "Y/n are you crying?" It was Lo'ak...Shit, I forget he was grounded.

~~~

Y/n was silent for a while to calm down his feelings, "I was just upset the accessory didn't came out as I wanted" Lo'ak rolls his eyes "You'd never cry over something like that, are you having a bad day?" "I'm not having a bad day."

Lo'ak replied a bit mockingly "You suuuree? Is it because of you getting rejected by a girl again?" "Stop it Lo'ak. I don't like anyone" "So why are you crying?" Y/n looked back at him "I'm not!" "Woww getting defensive are we, yea....you were probably crying"

Y/n clenched his fist and throws the unfinished accessory to Lo'ak "Ow! That hurts you meanie..." "Leave me alone you skxawng!! I HATE YOU!" As much as Y/n loved his brother, sometimes he gets on his nerve "So what if I'm crying?! It's not your business!!" Y/n was shouting at this point and his eyes began to water again. Lo'ak realized that something was really hurting his baby brother. Out of instinct he hugged Y/n.

Y/n hits Lo'ak shoulder "Let me go! You idiot!" He tries to get away from Lo'ak hug but that plan quickly failed.

After calming down, Y/n felt his brother stroking his head trying to comfort him. It was something Y/n would always do to Neteyam and Lo'ak whenever they had a bad day. "It's because of dad isn't it?" Y/n stayed quiet. "Y/n listen to me your not weak" Lo'ak says but Y/n scoffs in response "I can't even defend myself from the bullies and I don't have any kind of freedom. If I'm not weak I could've joined you guys out there"

Lo'ak pulls away from Y/n and holds his shoulder. "Then how about we go an a little adventure?" Lo'ak was smiling at this point and Y/n knew he was up to something. ".....you mean like going out?" "Yeah, while your big brother is here let's go out and explore. I'll take you to our hideout!"

Y/n hesitates for a while, he was afraid Jake would get mad at him. "We'll be home before they'll be here, no one has to know" Y/n thinks for a while before saying "Alright. I haven't seen the forest for some quite time either"

Y/n can't believe this, he was really going out again into the wilderness. Lo'ak was leading them at front and Y/n was at the very back of the line as he was watching over Tuk. Honestly, Y/n didn't agree with her coming with them but everyone always loses with Tuk.

"Lo'ak, are you sure it's safe for Tuk to come with us?" Y/n said as he jumped from one root to another. "It's fine, there's me, Kiri and you"

"But why would you bring her in the first place?" Lo'ak turn to Y/n and Tuk "The honking princess. I'm gossiping. You must not go out to the battlefield. I'll tell mom if you don't take me." Lo'ak said mockingly and Tuk sticks her tongue out in response. "Come on guys! You're so slow" Spider said and they continue their little adventure.

After entering the forest, the others went along while Y/n stayed back for a while. It's been along time since he went into the forest and it was as beautiful as he imagined. He sees various types of plants and animal, and he can hear small chirps here and there, he even met his favorite animal the fan lizard. He slowly walked through the forest admiring everything. He then came across Kiri, sleeping on the forest ground.

He planned waking her up but he saw that she looked so peaceful. It was as if Eywa was with her, the ground around her beating as if it was alive. He decided to give her some time and went somewhere else.

As he went deeper he was stopped when a woodsprite approaching him.

Y/n smiles and overs his hand to it and as it landed on Y/n, his stripes glowed and he felt like a tingle resulting in him giggling. Another woodsprite came and land on his head and another.

His stripes glows even brighter and brighter, Y/n suddenly heard his name being called so he pulled away from the woodsprites and as he walks he saw the ground around him changed, it was full of flowers

"What the.."

"Y/n! Where are you?!" He heard Lo'ak shouted. He thought that maybe he just didn't noticed it before so he ran back to his siblings.

Time passes and they were walking back home when Lo'ak suddenly noticed something on the ground. Y/n looked over it and saw that it was like a na'vi footprint but different.

"We're always supposed to be home by eclipse" Tuk said commented

Lo'ak and Spider looks at the footprints again "Way too big for a human" "Avatars?" Spider asked. "Maybe, but they're sure not ours" they began to follow the footsteps "What are you doing?" Kiri asked. "Shh, I'm tracking" Y/n knew Lo'ak was going to follow it

"I don't think we should follow it" He said to them but none of his siblings listen to him. Lo'ak keeps on moving while the others follow.

Y/n sighs and grabs Tuk hand, hoping one of them would at least listen to him "Let's go home" "No! I also want to know" She refuses. Y/n turned to Kiri and saw her following the rest. Y/n had no choice but to follow his siblings since he wasn't familiar with the way home.

'Dad is going to kill me..' Y/n repeats those words in his mind

The atmosphere was quiet and no one dares to make a sound. Y/n immediately knew where this is was. He remebers their father warning them not to come here. Y/n was about to say something but Lo'ak covers his mouth and pointed in front of them. Y/n froze when saw avatars surrounding the old shack.

"Dad is going to ground you for life" Kiri whispered but Lo'ak just shushed her in response. "Bro, we've got to check this out, let's go" "Lo'ak no!" Y/n shout-whispered at him while grabbing his arms. Lo'ak looks back at Y/n, "We might need to report this to dad, me and Spider will go out so stay here" He answered whispering back. Y/n gave him a 'you serious' look and whispered back "I'm coming with you, if anything both of you are very stubborn" "sounds fair then, let's go" Spider said before going first silently

The three of them sneak from behind the bushes and trees to take a better look. "Bro, that's where your dad and my dad fought" Spider said and Lo'ak commented "That's your dad actual suit" "Holy shit..." both of them looked amazed

"Both of you are unbelievable.." Y/n mumbled grumpily. He saw the avatars going outside and talks to eachother about something. "Better call this in" Lo'ak said. "No bro, we're gonna get in trouble" Spider protest but Lo'ak just takes Y/n's hand and drags him along "Let's go"

Lo'ak immediately called Jake and the others we're listening while Y/n just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

Y/n then heard Lo'ak mentioning their names hesitantly "There's me, Spider, Kiri... Tuk-" Y/n looked at him dead in the eye hoping he wouldn't say his name but Lo'ak didn't seemed to get it

"-and Y/n" Lo'ak looks a bit scared talking to his father and admitting he brought Y/n who was not allowed to go. Y/n can't listen to his father's voice because he doesn't wear any device but then Kiri takes his hand and Tuk's as Lo'ak said "Yes sir, moving out."

"What did dad say Kiri?" Y/n asked. "Of course he told us to get out of here, it's dangerous" Kiri replied and added "Lo'ak is going to be in a lot of trouble and none of us can save him now"

Y/n looked at her "Believe me, I wish his ass get spanked by dad"

Y/n's POV

We immediately stand up and began to retreat. Kiri kept on saying to Lo'ak that he's going to be in so much trouble and hoenstly I agree. Tuk was running infront of us so I immediately catch up to her and grab her hand. "It's almost eclipse, come on" Tuk said and in a second I heard something near us and immediately pushes Tuk behind me as we keep walking.

I turn my head to the group "Lo'ak there's something-" Suddenly someone grabs me and pulled my tsaheylu causing me to scream. The avatar from before held me still so I can't move.

"Y/N!!" My siblings shouted for my name and just like that we were surrounded by the avatars before. Lo'ak and Spider immediately prepares to fight them but they were holding guns.

"Put it down! Or I'll shoot!" I hear one of them say. I tried to fight back the avatar that was holding me but she yanked me up the ground by my hair and held a knife to my throat "Drop it or he gets it!" All of my siblings looked at me and I saw Tuk crying.

"L-Lo" I managed to say while I was in pain. Lo'ak looked at the avatar holding me furiously and finally said "Drop it" Spider lowers down his weapon and they immediately take a hold of everyone and forced them to kneel down harshly. "Get down on the ground. Stop fighting" one of them said as they harshly grab on Kiri's hair. "Check them for weapons" "Kiri!" Everyone was screaming and my head is hurting.

I can't focus on anything, I look at Lo'ak who was treated roughly and Spider. Tuk was scared and crying as they did the same to her. I was also finally set on the ground but her grip was still the same, not letting go and tears rolled down from my eyes seeing my siblings in pain. Tuk was so frightened..

"Tuk.. Tuk calm down, it's alright Tuk" I say to Tuk hoping she would calm down but she saw me crying shouted my name's and Kiri's.

"Be calm" Kiri said to her suprisingly calm although I knew she was also hurting. The soldiers checked us for weapons. After that they gathered us in a circle, the avatar women still has her knife up to my throat so I can't struggle much.

Tuk was looking at me, "Look away Tuk" I said to her shakingly and she did. I prayed to Eywa that our parents can find us soon and I heard the leader speaks, I turn to look at Lo'ak and he was also looking at me. I could see guilt and worry in his eyes, all of us are held captive by some unknown avatars.

~~~ (There's a lot of hair pulling in this scene I don't even know why 💀)

The colonel takes a look at the kids "What have we here?" He said and looked at Spider, probably confused to why there was a human but quickly shifted back it's focus on the others. One of them held Kiri's hand "Look, Colonel. Check it out. 5 fingers, We've got a half-breed" Kiri struggles and the avatar pulled on her head again.

He then turned to Lo'ak "Show me your fingers" Lo'ak looked back at him and raised his middle finger at him. Colonel only chuckles as he turned to Y/n. He sends a signal to his comrade and she lowers her knife from Y/n. "Would you look at this, a new hybird I suppose" Colonel said as he strokes Y/n's white hair. "You reminded me of someone.." he mumbled and Y/n stayed quiet. Eyes glaring at the Colonel as he reaches out and inspects Y/n's face left to right.

"You're his, aren't you?" He asked

Y/n tries to move his face away but the woman yanked his head upwards causing him to winced in pain. Lo'ak hissed at them "Don't touch him!"

He turns to Lo'ak amused. He walked towards him and grabs him by the hair, "Where is he?"

Lo'ak looks at him innocently "Unfortunately I don't speak english...with assholes"

Colonel answered him with a broken na'vi "Where is your father?" Clearly pissed. He pulled on Lo'ak's hair making him groan. Y/n's tail flicked left and right, scared that the soldier will do something to Lo'ak.

"Really? You wanna play it this way" He pulled out a knife and held it infront of Lo'ak.

Y/n's POV

"Don't harm him you fucker!" I shouted to him in english and he immediately stops. Lo'ak and Kiri stared at me before panicking.

He drops Lo'ak and approched me instead. "Y/n!" "No! Stop!" Kiri and Lo'ak shouted continously. "You seems to care for this little crybaby" He grab me from behind so I was facing Lo'ak and he inched the knife closer to my throat.

"Y/N!!"

I can feel the sharp edge piercing my skin. My siblings looked at me in horror and Lo'ak was fighting and pleading for him to stop.

"Hey! Hey! Don't hurt him please, stop it!" Spider shouted to the colonel and he got his attention. The colonel looked at him and drops me to the ground as I breathed out relieved.

"What’s your name kid?" He asked Spider

"Spider, Socorro" The colonel looked at him and asked him to be let go. He kneels infront of Spider and spoke out a name that I haven't even heard before "Miles?"

Spider looked at him with hatred "Nobody calls me that."

"I'll be damned. I figure they sent you back to Earth"

"Can't put babies in cryo dipshit." Spider replied and Colonel just looked at him as he stands up.

He uses his device and started to send coordinates about where we are. They pulled us up and force us to go back to the old shack.

They tied our hands and I was pushed to the ground beside Lo'ak. "What a freak" I hear one of them say. I completely stayed still, even though I've been hearing it for years it still bothers me in some way.

Lo'ak helps me sit up and hissed at them while they laughed. "You alright? Don't listen to them" He pulled me close and looked at my wound. "It's not that deep, I'm fine." I reassure him. His face was upset and sad so I just leaned on him. Sure the wound stings but it's bearable.

He held my hand, trying to comfort me. I was exhausted and my whole body ached at this point.

I heard an audio being played and they are pointing out it was dad and mom. I peeked over behind me and saw that they were watching a video of them battling. The colonel looked at me "Now I know why you're so familiar. A spitting image of your mother"

I hissed at him and turn away from them.

Hours passed by and the sun had already set. It was getting pretty dark. I was being held by the avatars when I suddenly hear a familiar calling. My ears perked up, trying to locate where the sound was. I look at Tuk and she seems to notice it too.

It was mom, I let out a small smile knowing that our parents are here. The others began to notice and stand on their ground on guard.

I saw that Kiri was praying to Eywa, the avatar told her to shut up but she didn't listen. But then in a flash the avatar that was holding her got shot in the head.

~~

The soldiers pushed away the kids and began to fire at Neytiri. Lo'ak triggers the smoke bom on the soldier and began to bite his way out of their grip. The others followed and as they began to run one of them grabbed Kiri's hair but got shot. Y/n was behind her and the colonel grip his hair, pulling him back as he fall.

"Lo'ak!" Y/n shouted in full panic. Lo'ak turned around and tries to go back for Y/n but Spider holds him back. "Lo'ak! Keep going!!" "LET GO! THEY HAVE Y/N!" "DON'T BE RECKLESS! JAKE AND NEYTIRI IS STILL THERE!" Spider shouted back at him. Lo'ak was conflicted but he knew that if he goes back the situation might get worse.

Quartich pulled Y/n beside him as he take cover. Y/n tried to run but Quartich wrapped his arm around him and reloaded his weapon. Y/n shouted in pain and his wound was pressed down. After he was done he covers Y/n's mouth to prevent him from making any noise and points his gun at him.

"Is that you, Mrs. Sully? I recognize your calling card!" Quartich shouted. Neytiri's breath hitched as she knew her son was being held by him. Quartich instructs one of the soldier to sneak around and kill Neytiri. Y/n tries to shout to warn his mom but his mouth was shut.

"Sh sh... don't want to ruin the surprise now do we?" Quartich said.

"Why don't you come on out Mrs. Sully? You seemed to drop one of your kids here. Why don't we have a little trade hm? Your son for our unfinished business."

Neytiri thinks for a while very carefully as she also ensures her other children are already at safety. She took a deep breath. Now she only have to save Y/n and kill the man holding her son.

"Demon! I will stop you as many times as I have to." She censored some of her words because she doesn't want Y/n to hear it.

"You and the corporal have been pretty busy haven't you? Got yourself a whole litter of half-breeds, I found one here looking exactly like his mother."

Quartich drags Y/n out of hiding. "Would be ashamed for this one to pass on early". Neytiri could hear Y/n muffled scream.

Y/n saw one of the soldiers pointing to where his mom were at and he started to trash around hoping his mother would noticed. As the soldier attempt to fire, an arrow suddenly shot him. Neteyam came in view.

Neytiri quickly shot quartich in the shoulder resulting his grip on Y/n to fall. Y/n quickly ran to where his mother were, he tried to go to Nete but the soldiers were in the way and he saw Jake pushing Neteyam out of the way.

"Mom!" Y/n shouted. Neytiri was not far up the branch above him. She quickly pulled Y/n up and began to run. As they were running, a rocket gun was fired at them, Neytiri and Y/n falls down to the ground but Neytiri quickly gets back up "Y/n! Get up!"

Y/n's ear was ringing but his mother pulled him up and they began to run again. They met Kiri who was shouting for Spider's name. Y/n looked down as saw he was hit, the soldiers were coming closer and Neytiri drag Kiri out from there.

Y/n was upset that Spider was taken from them. But that feeling soon was replaced with huge relief as he saw the rest. "Nete!" Y/n shouted as he ran to hug him. "Y/n! Are you okay?" Neteyam was looking for injury and saw that Y/n's neck had a cut. Neteyam looked at Lo'ak who were looking down. "I'm fine Nete" Y/n said as he looked at Kiri who were crying that Spider was taken

Y/n's POV

"Y/n." Dad called me, I looked up at him. His emotions were unreadable, I didn't know if he is upset or what. "Dad-"

Before I could finish talking he immediately noticed my neck "Don't talk, your wound might get worse" he said to me. I instinctively shut up and look down.. dad is probably mad at me after what I did. "I'm sorry" I whispered. He walked closer to me and pulled me into a hug. "There's no need to apologize I'm glad your safe"

I hugged him back and Tuk joined. Definitely was not expecting a hug but I could use some of that. After a while all of us went back to the camp. Mo'at was taking care of my wound when Tuk suddenly came inside

"Y/n, I think we are leaving"

[lightbarebunnies]

Napping with Valkyrie

summary: some lil hcs about napping with valkyrie's members :) tags: fluff, gn!reader - you/your pronouns characters: mika kagehira, shu itsuki a/n: first actual post? first actual post. screams. I might resize my header images because they feel way too big, but I will wait and see how they look on mobile x_x

Mika, like any other black cat, loves to sleep in the warmth of the sun.

He's napped out on benches, beneath trees, once even on the floor of the handicrafts room while he was waiting for Shu to finish alterations on their costumes.

However, it was when he first moved into the dorms and Ritsu, that Mika learned the joy of napping with another.

There’s a closeness that he’s appreciated from those dear to him, even outside of a romantic context. He’s just a cuddler!

Once he started collecting plushies, he had at least one near by to hold onto. During his crushing stage, there definitely wasn’t one he named after you and would imagine was you, yearning to be able to hold you tight...

Once you started to date, however, he’s always been the clingy type of partner - pulling you close so that you’re leaning on his shoulder when you watch movies together, having you sit on his lap when the two of you are both just scrolling on your phones, and essentially attaching himself to your arm when you’re out shopping for fabric.

He adores the feeling of you. Your warmth, the slow rise and fall of your chest as you breathe, the pressure of you on top of him… Genuine, physical facts that you are there and with him in that moment.

As much as Mika likes to spoon, he actually prefers for you to be cuddled up beside him and resting your head on his chest.

In a perfect world, you’d just be directly on top of him without worrying about it being comfortable for him… He can handle it, even if you hear something crack or pop, he’s not that scrawny anymore! It’s just like a weighted blanket-

...That’s something he’ll try to convince you to do on another day.

Today, however, he just needs some time with you. You’ve both had a long day, and it wasn’t even dinnertime yet. So… like clockwork, he drags you off to the couch for a nap to recharge.

Mika’s essentially formed a nice little nest out of his spare blankets, with just enough space for the both of you to lie down and be snuggled up together.

He lies down first, then lets you get comfortable and find the right position before he’ll wrap his arms around you. He tends to have a hand wander and eventually find its way into your hair, playing with it until he dozes off.

Sometimes, Mika ends up waking up before you. That’s a real treat for him… he loves how peaceful you look when you sleep – just getting to watch you at rest with him makes him feel all fuzzy inside.

Shu Itsuki and naps do not usually come hand in hand.

Usually, he keeps a strict sleep schedule to ensure his own health and maintain the proper work balance between schoolwork and his idol activities.

Though, it's due to his stubbornness that he's wound up passed out in the snow when he still was attending Yumenosaki. While he hasn't worked himself to absolute exhaustion, he still is prone to pushing himself far to meet deadlines.

You're dear to Shu, and your presence is absolutely vital to his work when he's on a time crunch.

He trusts you enough, about as much as he trusts Mika at this point, to assist in simple sewing tasks.

So, as the sun rises and creeps through the curtains, you finish applying bias tape to the sleeves of Shu's most recent commission. You're wiped, but you can't seem to convince yourself to go to sleep if it means more work for Shu...

Shu looks at you sleepily rub your eyes, placing your pin cushion on the table, and his heart aches. There was still another day until the deadline... perhaps the two of you have done enough for now.

He quickly makes a baste stitch with the applique he had been fussing over, then stands. He walks to the couch and grabs a shawl he had knit months ago. You don't really think much of it, until you realize he's not by the couch anymore... and is in fact standing behind your chair.

"Come, mon Amour." he whispers in your ear, wrapping the shawl around your shoulders. "I've decided that I can't stand watching your constitution waste away, so we shall be going to bed."

It's an obvious excuse, a way for him to say he too is tired without admitting such weakness and instead using you as an excuse It was something you'd normally point out, until he gives your shoulder a gentle kiss - a silent apology for not deciding to rest sooner.

... Alright, you'll let him off easy this time.

Whisking you off to his bedroom, he first ensures your own comfort once he lays you down - fussing over your position and making sure that the sheets are adequate.

On one side, he tucks you in, before he gets in on the other side. He ensures you're still wrapped in the shawl as he holds you, so that if the two of you separate in your sleep, you'll still have a part of him holding you as you rest.

Shu watches you as you drift off, gently brushing his fingers through your hair and humming softly. He always makes sure you fall asleep first.

Feeling the knit lace pattern of the shawl between his fingers, a habit to keep him from fretting about the unfinished work, he finally drifts off to sleep with you in his arms.

In a few hours you'll both wake up and get back to work, likely with a cup of caffeinated tea to help. For now, however... he'll rest.

[monstersandmaw]

I just pictured getting into a silly arguement with your vampire partner and then you get so petty that you go stand out in the sun so they can't get to you.

My hand slipped: (gn reader, f vampire, sfw)

"I can't believe you left the garlic out on the counter where I could smell it! Again!" she hissed, eyeing the offending bulb with glaring, scarlet irises. "You know how it affects my throat!"

"You said you wouldn't come in the kitchen anymore!" you fired back at her. "You get to drink any kind of blood you like -- I don't judge you for it -- and you said I could have the kitchen as my space where I get to have the things I like to eat."

"Yes, but you don't have to smell deer blood on my breath for a week after I go hunting!"

"God dammit, I just wanted some garlic bread, sweetheart," you practically sobbed. "I miss it, ok?"

"I don't see why I should have to pay for your -- where are you going?"

"I'm going outside. This is clearly not going anywhere and I need a minute."

"Get back here," she yelped as you flung open the back door and stepped out into a blazing August afternoon.

Crickets and insects filled the air around you with their raucous chorus from the grasses, and in the oak tree above you at the end of the garden, a pigeon cooed in a decidedly lacklustre voice, lamenting the cooler days yet to come.

You took a deep breath and let the sun's fierce heat prickle all up your bare arms. You'd never had an argument with Celine before, and with it being over something so petty as a stray bulb of garlic, you felt unnerved and off-kilter. After only a few minutes, you bit your lower lip and turned towards the back door of the house again, finding her sitting on the step, staring at you.

Her bare toes were tucked right up against the step as the creeping tide of daylight washed slowly towards her, and your heart lurched at the thought of it scorching her skin because she was too stubborn to go inside and wait for you both to cool off. Metaphorically. It was hot as Satan's balls out there.

"Celine," you breathed, knowing full well she would hear you, even at that distance.

She lowered her head, her thick, dark, curly hair falling in front of her face and her hands dropping to dangle listlessly in her lap.

With slow, measured steps, you returned to her and stood before her on the path, still separated from her by a wall of searing sunlight.

She looked up and met your gaze. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry I overreacted. Keep your garlic. Keep everything that makes you human and everything I love about you and everything that you love. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry I wasn't more thoughtful about storing it so it doesn't waft around the house. I forgot how refined your senses are."

You held out your hand, letting the shadows cast by the house slide up your skin so she could safely hold your hand. Celine rose to her feet and drew you into the cool embrace of her arms. "I love you," she whispered into your hair as she cradled you close. "I love you so much."

"Garlic and all?"

She chuckled. "Yes, garlic and all. We did meet at Francesco's dinner party after all."

"That was an awful lot of garlic," you snickered. "Even for me."

[mamawasatesttube]

OOF. There are so many good prompts on that list, I could barely decide! But I feel like I gotta go with “They’ll find me, they always do.” Preferably as spoken by Kon?

Kon doesn't know where he is.

Well—okay, he has a vague idea. It's... a box, somewhere underground, designed for holding Kryptonians. Designed for breaking Kryptonians, if he's entirely honest; courtesy of Luthor, of course. The walls are twofold, with all the air pumped out of the gap between the layers so that he can't hear anything from outside, and the strange, uncanny silence alone would be bad enough without the darkness, away from any sun.

The only light is, of course, the fucking kryptonite.

It's getting old, he thinks woozily. How many times is Luthor gonna pull this kinda shit? Does he really think he can break Kon's spirit just with a little (okay, a lottle) physical misery? Does he really think Kon will ever give up any of Kal's secrets just 'cuz of some pain, misery, and humiliation?

Admittedly, having to hand himself over for a bunch of civilian hostages just to get slapped with a kryptonite fucking collar is pretty heavy on the humiliation front, but still. Kon's a goddamn joke. He can take being a laughingstock.

He heaves a sigh, closing his eyes. At least the floor is cold and soothing against his flushed cheeks; the hot flashes are better than the cold sweats, so he's grateful, for the moment. He just has to outlast this, that's all.

At some point, the loudspeaker in the ceiling crackles and jolts him out of his doze. "You look pathetic," Luthor informs him. Kon musters up the energy to raise a middle finger to wherever the infrared cameras in here might be. "Classy as ever, Supernova. You could end this anytime, you know. And frankly, you owe me your existence; you'd think you'd be more grateful than this."

Kon rolls onto his back just to raise a second middle finger to the ceiling, too.

Luthor sighs. "So stubborn. Why do you insist on drawing out your suffering? There is only one way this ends, and we both know that."

"Yeah," Kon mumbles. He's too tired and achy to keep his arms up any longer, so he lets them fall back down to his sides. "There is. They'll find me. They always do."

Judging by the hiss of breath, Luthor doesn't care for that answer. Kon smiles despite the burning under his skin, and closes his eyes again.

Some time passes. Kon drifts vaguely in and out of consciousness, thoughts swimming; when the pain and the nausea grow too overwhelming, he retreats into the part of his mind that never left the tube at Cadmus and lets himself float away from reality.

He dreams about the swimming hole a little ways from the farmhouse. It's in a small copse of trees that stand out on the flat horizon; he took Tim there earlier this summer. They splashed around, swam, and made out sitting on the water's edge; right as they were about to leave, Tim stole Kon's shirt and jumped in wearing it, just to make Kon wear a wet T-shirt the whole walk home, and laughed at his own prank on and off all afternoon.

Kon likes when Tim laughs. The memory makes him smile; he can almost feel the warmth of the sunlight on his back as he reminisces. God, what he'd do for some sunlight right now...

Bang. Bang. Bang.

BOOM.

Light floods into the room, artificial, fluorescent light that does nothing for him. Kon squints vaguely at the silhouettes cast against it, but doesn't bother to lift his head; he'd rather dream of the swimming hole and the cool water lapping at his clammy skin.

"Is that a fucking collar?" Cassie's voice, frigid with rage. Warm hands brush against his throat as she kneels, and the sound of metal snapping reaches him from far, far away. "I'm going to kill Luthor. I'm actually gonna kill—"

"Not if I get there first," Bart says, his voice strangely taut. "Hey, Kon. Wake up!"

Someone else is at his side, too. Red, and black, and white eyes in a dark mask... oh. That's Tim, Kon realizes woozily, as a gloved hand cups his cheek.

"Kon," Tim says. His voice is low and urgent. He's not laughing. The kryptonite is gone, Kon realizes suddenly; there's a metal box next to Tim's knee. Classic Tim, he thinks. Always prepared. "Kon, can you hear me?"

Kon blinks at him. He probably should answer, but... he still feels like he's floating, and none of it can quite reach him. It's fine. It's probably fine.

Tim's lips press together in a thin, tight line. Kon doesn't like that; he shouldn't look so tense and unhappy. He likes when Tim laughs.

"Shit, that bastard really did a number on him," Cassie hisses. "Here, move. I got him."

Tim reluctantly pulls away. Kon whines a little as his hand drops from his cheek; he doesn't want Tim to go. But then Cassie is there, gathering him up into her arms, and Kon sighs, relaxing; she's warm, and he's suddenly acutely aware that he's freezing, and he knows in her arms, he's safe.

"Let's go," Cassie says, standing with Kon in her arms.

"He's shivering. Hold on." Kon watches through weary, half-lidded eyes as Tim fiddles with the clasps of his cape, pulls it off, and... oh. Drapes it over him like a blanket, then bundles him up like a baby, in Cassie's arms.

"If you guys have Kon, I can go murder Luthor real fast," Bart offers.

It's probably a sign that his friends are really, really pissed that no one immediately says no murder, Bart. Kon can't figure out what's going on, but he knows he's safe now. He closes his eyes and sinks into Cassie's arms and figures he'll just have to ask them to fill him in later.

[nervoushottee]

Flaws and All CH. 2 (Joel Miller x Fem! Reader Series)

Warnings: None if I am not mistaken, menstruation products are mentioned

Note: HI HOTTEES I missed you guys and I missed this fic. Hope you all enjoy mwah!

Series Masterlist

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Chapter 2

It had gotten even colder.

From the moment you woke up you could see your own breath. You had sleept in a hurdled baby postition in your sleeping bag to keep yourself warm. And you weren’t sure how the hell Joel stayed up any longer with how cold it got.

He was no where to be found in the office when you got up or in the station itself. The front door was open, with the old piece of wood lodged in between so the door wouldn’t close all the way. You zipped your jacket all the way up to your neck before going out.

Yesterday you could see the gravel road, the snow barely leaving any color melting as soon as it had fallen in certain area. But now when you walked outside. There was about an inch of snow covering the floor.

The dirt from your boot causes the soft snow to turn brown with every step you take. The wind causes your cheek to flush as you look around to find Joel.

“Joel?” You call out. You get no reply but the wind.

Did he leave you in the middle of the night while you slept? Maybe he thought it would soften the blow to make you think he was actually going to take you yesterday and then leave without a trace.

You turn to walk to the side of the station to see a makeshift fire. The fire was low, down to almost embers. But it was proof of life, proof that Joel could still be here. Or that he left not too long ago.

“Mornin’.” The sound of his voice causes you to turn at the sudden sound. Joel was wearing his green jacket, zipped all the way like you had. One of his hands holding a gas jug.

A wave of relief sets in your bones as you let out a huge breath. You nod at his obvious statement. “It snowed.” You say back to him.

Joel nods, turning back briefly to look at the trees that were dusted with white. “It started about an hour or so after you fell asleep. I’m surprised that its only this much.” He walks past you to the dead fire and kneeled down.

“I didn’t sleep long. Managed to siphon enough gas for about a day or two. Here’s hopin’ anyway.”

You walk closer to the fire. Despite it nearly being gone, you can feel the small warmth against your lower legs.

You were slowly noticing that Joel really wasn’t much of a sleeper. If he did, it wasn’t much. During those nights before you got to the station. More times than not Joel kept watch in the middle of the night.

At first you thought it was out of chivalry. Which you quickly decided against with how the world has become and how quickly you’ve seen a lot men become even more vile than before this all happened.

You also thought it could be because of your hand. It hurt like a bitch in the beginning. Couldn’t do much of anything with your dominant hand practically split open and bleeding.

But on the third night before you found this place. You told Joel that you wanted to take the first watch. Your plan was to take the first watch and then the rest of it and not wake him up at all. Give him a full night sleep as a “thank you for keeping watch every night and for literally saving my fucking life.” But not even one hour in and you could hear Joel grumble in his sleep and wake up with a low gasp. Like he had a nightmare of some sort.

He got up and told you that’d he’d take watch for the rest of the night. With how straight forward he was and from the tone of his voice. You knew it wasn’t up for discussion. And if this was before, before the clickers and the raiders and the infected that crawled through every crevice. You would’ve put up more of a fight. Demanded him to sleep or whatever stubborn sentence you would say.

But hell, it was a chance at more sleep and at least you tried . It was the thought that counted. And who were you to ask or check on him about it? You didn’t want to pry.

“Which car are we using?” You ask, crouching down closer to the dead fire, trying to get as much warmth as you could from its dying flames. “There’s a truck about a minute or two down the road. I didn’t wantna drive it up here just in case but it still works, just needs a wire start. When we’re done here, we’ll head down there.” He tells you.

You almost tell him that you want to go now, but you think it might be best to give the station another comb over just in case you missed anything.

“I’m going to go back inside and see if there’s anything useful that we missed getting yesterday.” With that, you stand up to head back inside to gather your things and do your final sweep.

“Wait.” You hear Joel say. Turning your head towards the man that was walking towards you.

“It’s not soup but it’s warm.” He says to you.

He hands you a cup filled with coffee. Hot coffee.

Your eyes light up, eyebrows nearly raise up to your hairline. Suprised he found this and even had the thought to give it to you. You look up from the steaming cup to Joel who looks hesitant in his actions. He gives you a small nod of your head. Almost as if he’s asking you to take it. Telling you it’s okay.

Maybe you’re digging into it too much. But you feel like it’s an olive branch to becoming travel partners. Remembering the small conversation, the only conversation, you had last night with him. And a warm coffee the next day. If you close your eyes, it almost feels like the two of you are going on a trip. Traveling cross country and stopped to refuel your gas tank and stock up on snacks and caffeine. Not that you’re traveling to survive. Traveling to find shelter away from death and destruction.

You take the cup gently into your hands. The styrofoam cup warms your fingertips and turns them pink. A big contrast from the cold temperature. “How did you even-”you start to ask

“Found a locked cupboard full of those cups and instant coffee packets. It’s not the best type but it’s coffee nonetheless.” He explains with a shrug and a very small smile as he stares at the cup.

It takes you a while before you say anything. Simply holding the warm cup in your hands. Staring at the steam swirl up in to the air and disappear into the wind. The strong aroma that you hadn’t smelled in a long time. Coffee not even being a thought in your mind. You look up to him, grateful.

“Thank you.”you say thoughtfully

Joel doesn’t make it much of a moment as you do, he simply nods his head and heads back over to the fire. Making sure it’s put out and no ember can cause any amount of smoke. You go into the station to gather your things and check it one more time before you trek.

——————-

Joel was right, it wasn’t the best coffee you ever had. But it sure was good. It was warm, and exactly what you needed. The nutty bitter taste of gas station coffee that brought you back to a simpler time.

Your bags were packed and so was Joel’s. Coffee in hand you made one last sweep of the gas station. You were able to find a couple bottles of water, toilet paper, granola bars, and a couple more of the Yahoo cans of milk.

You also hit the motherload on menstruation products. You had kicked down the dispenser in the women’s bathroom that was filled with the shitty pads and tampons that were never the best of quality. They were always just a last minute resort, if you’re period snuck up on you. Now, it was a blessing that it was even here. Oh how times have changed.

Joel closed the gas station door shut and the both of you walked down the road to the truck Joel found. A blue and white Chevy that was parallel parked on the side of the road between two beat up Sedans. A golden treasure hidden in plain sight. You were surprised no one had even tried to take it.

You walk over to the passenger seat and get inside. You throw your bag and the new items you got from the station in the backseat. Joel is outside, filling up the gas tank with a bit more gas before the two of you get on your way.

You look around the truck. You didn’t know much about vehicles, never was interested in the first place. But you hoped that the truck would be able to take you both to your destination. The front door opens and Joel sits in the front seat. He bends down the side to grab the wires and start the car. It takes a few tries before the engine sings. The familiar hum of a vehicle, the vibration against your feet makes your heart race.

You feel Joel’s eyes on you, making you look up at him. He looks at you in question, his eyebrows raised, silently asking if you were ready. You give him a nod and a small smile and with your gesture, he shifts into gear and starts driving.

__ __ __ __ __ __

HEY YALLL!! IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME!!

I have been working so much and just haven’t had any motivation to write. I’m hoping this year I can get back into it keep on writing these stories and sharing it with you all.

This is very short but I just wanted to post another chapter since it’s been a while and it felt like a good place to end the chapter.

Anyway, thank you for reading!! MWAH

Taglist: @hoemadegrace @ninjarose23 @mandeepandee1997 @sheepdogchick3

[roboticspacecase]

Illuminacho said: I'd love to see a billdip hero x villain fic, of any length, I've been seeing a lot of tik toks with that dynamic, and I'd love to see it in billdip form, if you're still taking prompts

I've been working a lot, so prompts have been slow, but I promise I'm still going to do most of them! :D If I don't do one, it's because I just didn't know where to go with it ;w; but here's this one for y'all!

A loud bang filled the streets, rattling windows and setting off car alarms. People had long since found cover from the debris, so Dipper didn't look for anyone in need of help once the bright, yellow smoke cleared. Instead, his eyes landed on Cipher, the cause of all the trouble.

"You're such a stubborn little thing!" the villain sang as he stepped through the last plume of smoke. "It's so sad to see someone that calls himself a hero defending these banks that would sooner see the people starve than do an ounce of good."

Dipper grit his teeth, standing firmly in place. Cipher walked right up to him, stopping less than a foot away. "I don't support what they do, I support not hurting innocent people. You're trying to tear down buildings with people inside of them, and I don't think that's very nice. So yeah, I'm going to keep being stubborn."

Cipher chuckled, raising his gloved hands as if he were surrendering. "Oh, well, when you put it that way, I guess my entire world view is now changed, and you can take me to jail to serve time for all the crimes I've committed!"

"You're stalling, aren't you?" Dipper took a quick step back, eyes darting to the bank that was now missing a wall. "Is there a second bomb? Tell me now, Cipher! If you really have some ideal of protecting the masses, you'll at least let me try to find it."

A moment of silence fell between them as Cipher's hands slowly lowered, his lips stretching into a wide, sharp-toothed grin. Dipper always speculated that the villain didn't live a normal life outside of crime, seeing as someone would no doubt recognize such a smile and turn him in immediately.

"That's one thing I never got," Cipher hummed. "How you heroes never seem to realize that cracking a few eggs is the only way to make an omelet. Society will never help me turn on the powerful if all of them are making it out of these encounters alive! Besides, casualties cause drama, and I'm nothing if not a drama queen!"

Just as Cipher finishes speaking, another burst of yellow smoke exploded a few streets away from them. Dipper could hardly hear the villain laughing over the sounds of people screaming and running from the explosion. He tried to swing at Cipher, wanting to keep the villain there since he knew other heroes would be able to take care of the rest, only his hand was caught before he made contact.

Cipher yanked Dipper against him, still laughing as he pressed their masks together. "Pine Tree," he growled out, "you're always so eager to cut our time short. Don't you want to do the fun hero thing where you pretend to care about my feelings in hopes that it will sway me to your side and forever stop my evil schemes?"

The first few times Cipher had forced Dipper so close to him, Dipper could hardly breathe. His heart pounded away in his chest, and his mind raced to figure out some way out of his grasp. But now, even though he couldn't look Cipher in the eyes, Dipper stared right at him and took in even breaths.

"I've never pretended to care," he said softly. "You think I would even take the time to talk if I didn't care? Or that I'd be out here in the first place, putting out every fire you start, even if I limp home covered in burns?" Dipper placed his free hand on Cipher's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "I care about everyone's right to live a safe, happy life. Even yours, Cipher. But I can't allow people to hurt each other in the pursuit of that."

Cipher scoffed, though he stayed still and silent until sirens could be heard closing in on them. "Maybe one of these times I blow you up, I'll knock those rose-colored glasses off your face, and you'll finally see what I see." He let go of Dipper's hand, taking a step back. "I hope you will, eventually, Pine Tree. I enjoy our time together, and I think the two of us working together would lead to great things."

"I'll never work with you," Dipper huffed. "Not unless you see my side of things."

"Who knows," Cipher chuckled as a plume of smoke erupted at his feet, covering the villain, "maybe one day we'll both change our minds. Wouldn't that be dramatic?" His voice faded as the cloud did, leaving Dipper standing in the street to wait for the approaching police cars.

They all jumped out of their cars with their weapons drawn, expecting to see Cipher still standing there. But, of course, he always left just in time to never face the consequences of his actions.

Dipper made his escape as well, not wanting to have to answer their questions about why he let Cipher get away. That and he had somewhere to be. A date that he was running late to.

After a quick change at his apartment, Dipper hurried off to the café nearby, a place that thankfully never got hit by any sort of villain attacks. It always offered a tranquil environment, which is exactly why he and Bill always picked it for their lunches.

"There you are," his boyfriend said, gesturing to the seat across from him. "I was worried you'd be late again. Though, I'm one to talk, I'm no better at keeping time."

Dipper laughed as he sat down. "We're both bad at it, but at least we're here now. Today has been so busy with work. Lots of paperwork and writing to be done when there's always someone coming to me with news stories about villains and whatnot. We live in a wild world."

Bill gave him a soft smile, leaning forward so that he could grasp Dipper's hand. "Seems like no one is allowed to rest easy in today's world. But don't worry, I'll be your hero and always keep you safe."

A deep blush covered Dipper's face, and he grabbed Bill's hand as well. "Oh, stop, you're too much. Did you order our drinks already? If you did, you got me hot chocolate instead of coffee, right?"

"Don't worry, Dipper," Bill hummed, kissing the back of Dipper's hand. "I remember all of your favorite things. At this point, I know more about you than you probably know about yourself."

Dipper snorted. Even though he and Bill had been dating for nearly a year, he had only let the blond know surface level things about him. It was just safer that way. "Nonsense, I'm a big mystery yet to be unraveled. You just don't know even that yet."

Bill laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, I'll figure out everything about you eventually. It is my job as your boyfriend, after all."

[kinok0s-writings]

Some Nightshade, a Bit of Chrysanthemum, and a Dash of Child Ingenuity

(This is yet again a late valentine’s day gift for someone I adore! There are going to be three more of these, and then I'm not quite sure what to do lol. This one is for @oobbbear, and for those who aren't aware of her witch au and what happens, check that out before you read the italics at the end. It's easy to ignore, but it's a spoiler if you haven't looked at the au, I recommend you check it out before reading. Other than that, I hope you enjoy! ^^)

Birds cried out in startled annoyance as heavy footsteps fell under them, the small critters scurried away from the disturbances with a skittish warning, chattering to others about the burly human who so angrily fought through the outreached branches of trees and shrubbery, naively disregarding the brambles and briars. The flora seemed to continue grabbing onto whatever clothing and hair they could, be it to curiously explore the stranger to these lands or to purposely get in her way out of spite for being such a loud nuisance, whichever it was you didn’t exactly care, -as long as they distracted the strange woman and kept her at bay. You currently sat pressed into a tree, -letting the bark cut into your skin to keep you alert while catching your breath in an attempt to be as unnoticeable as possible, sweat has already begun to start sticking to your skin to hold your clothes flush against your body uncomfortably; you’ve been playing this game of running rabbits with the weird merchant for far longer than you wanted, and you could tell you weren’t the only one tired. The cool breeze occasionally brushed against you with encouraging fingertips, cooling you down but making you all the more aware of the sheen coating your body, and while watching the large woman fight with a spot overcrowded with stubborn saplings, you tried to figure out why she was so determined to catch you in the first place. You hadn’t stolen anything despite her insisting you were a thief, -you didn’t want to have a debt with anyone else thank you, you had made sure to trade with objects of similar worth to the tools, realistic ivy, and the collection of wooden sculpted fungi, leaving your inventory lacking a small collection of crystals collected from the cave southwest of the cottage and a bottle of some bonafide auntie Moon broth. You could feel how your stomach whined at the loss of your delicious lunch, though the sudden shaking of the branch you had perched onto truly pulled you from your thoughts, the sudden violent movement nearly pulling you to the ground as well by shaking your balance right out of you. A glance to the tree aided with the sudden obscenities being shouted at you, -a mix of languages you both understood and didn’t, told you it was time to go, hopefully, this would be the last escape attempt, you needed as much time you could get to finish your project by tonight and the sun was already overhead casting noon shadows. You both locked eyes for a second, before you steeled yourself and turned hide to jump to the safest branch that could hold you the next tree over like the squirrels you’ve lived alongside most of your life, stuttering in the air with the weight in your satchel, nevertheless you landed with the ghost of a grunt leaving you.

You could hear the woman swear again as you pulled yourself up, steadying yourself to quickly approach the edge to jump again and push yourself to leap some more, the compass tied outside the bag on your person was all you needed to navigate a path bound to lose the lady on the ground. You knew these woods like you knew the ingredients to your favorite dish, after all, you’ve lived in this barely touched forest with your aunties for several years now, and with your experience here you knew for certain that traveling in the trees or the air was the fastest ways of traversing the woodlands, easier if you were alright with raw palms and scrapes. It was a slightly beneficial trade-off because sure it greatly tested your upper body and core strength, as well as your tolerance for the roughly textured bark cutting into your skin or scratching you even through your clothing, let alone the ever-growing possibility of slipping or losing your balance as a result of the split second you couldn’t catch yourself. Those were the problems you welcomed compared to those traversing on foot, like being consistently slowed down by the thick oftentimes thorned shrubbery that grabbed onto your clothes and hair with a strange desire, or traversing through possible wetlands, -an obstacle that was growing ever common in the transition of seasons. Then there were the hesitant steps made to climb over the roots which grew much too large to stay buried under the soil, and lest you forget the awkward twisting of your body to pass through the saplings whose thin limbs seemed to be all too eager to steal an eye or two. You were moving with adrenaline in your veins, hearing your pursuer grow further and further away much to your gratitude because you’ve been progressively getting more aware of the damage to your body, your palms were throbbing with a sore heat due to the wood-biting into them unkindly, rubbing your skin raw as you dangled from one branch to swing to another until you were sure you'd lost her, luckily before you lost your grip.

The wind only blew past you for a single moment, -its refreshing caresses were now no longer comforting, before you felt the impact of your back meeting the earthen ground sooner than you had planned, forcing something of both a grunt and a cry combined to leave you, knowing you fell from a place higher than you should have been. Savoring the serenity of the forest ambiance you lay there, gaping like a fish out of the water as you tried to greedily gulp back the air that was knocked right out of your lungs, taking a couple of seconds too long to hype yourself into the idea of getting up. You could already hear the scolding reminder of the lecture telling you to stop being so reckless, last time you had accidentally fallen asleep and then been forced to go sort through the elixir and potion ingredients for two weeks, -it sounds a lot easier than it truly was. Suddenly you became progressively aware of each new scratch, cut, and forming bruise that coated your body with the same consistency as splattered paint upon a canvas, causing a sigh to leave you; you eventually opted to pull some of the objects out of your satchel and work on what parts of your project you could instead of thinking about your aunties’ reaction to your absence. Yes, you had let them know beforehand that you were leaving to go out on a walk, but even that was back when the sun was only climbing higher than the treetops, and to think you had assumed you would have had time to practice your whittling some more before you put everything together tonight. Slowly from the appeal of the hesitant compromise that you’d have time for more practice if and only if you got the ivy combined with the flowers now instead of later, the ache in your limbs forcibly ignored, you gained the momentum to stumble forwards towards the cottage, even taking some of the longer routes. You were so absorbed in fastening the right knots with the fake ivy you didn’t care how branches seemed to playfully grab your pants and your hair, or how sapling limbs prodded at your drying wounds, in fact, the only time you looked away was when you nearly tripped on a root you always faceplant over, the last piece of glass secured just in time for you to realize you were at the clearing of the cottage. Quickly, in case anyone was looking for you at the window in the off chance you had somehow gotten lost, you shoved the ropes into your satchel, listening to the oddly charming sound of glass clinking against the glass, before you made your way out of the trees, the sight of the cottage with its snow ridden garden putting a relieved smile on your face as your heart welcomed the sight of home. Despite anything seeing your aunts always brightened your days, it could have something to do with how they loved each other or the fact they somehow made sure to share enough for the lost child the forest spat out at them, and your tired smile was traded for a genuinely energetic one, and as you neared the doorstep you paused to look inside the cauldron hung outside for the off chance something may be inside. Your stomach reminded you of your missed lunch making the emergency bottle you had stashed inside your room seem all the more promising, but just so you wouldn’t have to crack open your reserves you’ve made it a habit to sneakily check, sadly today the oversized iron bowl was filled with nothing but disappointment; ah well, you shrugged deciding that reserves were on the menu today. Humming an absentminded tune you knocked on the door to ‘shave and a haircut’ before opening it and stepping inside, the comforting warmth with its cozy ambiance was able to be savored for just a moment until one of your aunts seemed to decide to spawn next to you, -despite your uncertainty of whether or not she actually could teleport you were oftentimes sure it was just her way of messing with you.

“Look who finally decided to come home, I was almost convinced you had gotten lost and we needed to go out and grab you. Did you at least bring back something inter- Goodness, hey Moon? Could you grab the first aid, it looks like Y/n took a swim in the briars again.”

Pushing away the embarrassing memory aside you laughed reassuringly and swatted at your bright aunt’s hands, a small playful fight breaking out as you challenged one another, her hands grabbing to look at all of your wounds in such a way it nearly tickled, and your hands were playing defense as you tried to reassure her that you were perfectly alright. You chose to swallow down the winces whenever her touch grazed a certain bruise to eventually escape the sunny witch, which you did, therefore winning the war and as familiar soft footfalls came from behind you you laughed at her dramatic huff of defeat; you were going to walk off in victory, but a different hand grabbed your arm, one you couldn’t swat away, causing the roles to be reversed. Your expression fell into mock betrayal as you were then dragged to a stool by the deceivingly younger of the two witches as your auntie Sun laughed behind her hand while she left the room, leaving you to groan quietly before you extend your arms out of silent routine, letting your aunt Moon examine your limbs and letting her adjust your clothing for full inspection. You bit your lip as guilt began blossoming in you, not even the sunlight illuminating the room through the curtained window could dissolve the shadows it brought with it, it wasn’t as if you had wanted to get this hurt, and you were trying to be careful, it wasn’t your fault you were accident prone. However, instead of feeling bad for yourself, you focused on reassuring her you were alright, but she spoke first, her calming voice held tones of exasperation, slight concern, and perhaps an undertone of scolding.

“It does look like you went swimming in them again, what, were you too impatient to wait for the creek to warm up? Tell me, what did you do, and don’t you tell me you ‘just went for a walk’ because then I’ll have to ask you where’d you walk, down the cliffs? By the stars love, if you’re going to teach Y/n to be as reckless as you, then could you at least make sure they have your luck as well? It’ll save me on medical supplies.”

You can at least say there was no undertone, her words were definitely filled with scolding, and as they became directed at the escapee, your other aunt returned with a cup of water in one hand, the other extended towards your head and ruffled your hair as if a mock apology to match your previous betrayal, her warm touch felt pleasant against your scalp. The ruffling of your hair paused as she pulled a twig from your strands, inquiring a quizzical and amused look from her that bounced from you and the twig, before her pretty blue optics met her wife’s darker hues, smiling with the gleam of a playful feline as she tossed the twig to the side and placed her free hand against her chest.

“Honeysuckle, they’re alive aren’t they? Of course our little Y/n has my luck.”

Her words only made the taller of the two roll her eyes, though the edges of her lips upturned at the absurdity of them, and the two of you laughed at auntie Sun’s successful dissolvement of her scoldings, but you knew she had only pointed you in the right direction, you were the one that had to clear the path. Quickly you spoke up, having already gotten over the sting of the disinfectant oil being rubbed into your already raw skin, it helped that her touch was comfortingly cool and her hold was gentle, soothing the sore burning.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself, I am still as fit as a fiddle! After all, I have my aunts to teach me, and they’ve taught me well. I really am sorry I stayed out so late though, it wasn’t my intention, I just got a bit carried away testing my knowledge on traversing the woods. I was going to go to the village to gather things I need for something I’m working on, the one north at the ‘skirts, but on my way, I came across a traveling merchant that had something better than I originally planned, so I just got my things there.”

As you gave the women your very reasonable explanation, you noticed that they both had different expressions adorning their faces, Sun looked like it made sense and that was all she needed, but Moon looked confused, if not a bit apprehensive about something as if something didn’t add up. The burning of your limbs had noticeably begun extinguishing, the homemade oil doing its trick while her pale hands paused, one on your arm while the other held a roll of the gauze you’ve been chipping away at these days.

“Y/n… you don’t have any money, how did you pay the merchant for whatever you bought?”

Her words confused you for a moment, you knew you had no coins so why did she need to remind you? It seemed however the brief moment confusion had bled onto your expression was all it took to answer a few mental questions of her own, making dread slip onto her facial features, her wife’s muffled laughter not helping at all. Quickly you brightened up with a reassuring smile to stop whatever was going on through her mind, resting the hand currently unoccupied on top of the one holding your arm as you spoke again.

“I know I don’t have money, that’s why I just did what aunt Sun taught me to do whenever we summon demons for things, I traded something of equal value! I gave the lady the good ole Moon broth I had on hand and some of the gems I gathered the other day. I wasn’t going to steal anything, trust me I’ve learned my lesson, and I just didn’t want to bother any of you for some coins either. Usually, I’d pay with tasks, but that’s only for the village, they’re cool like that, it’s alright I promise.”

After you reassured her, ignoring the sneaking suspicion you had done something wrong because you know you had done nothing, -you’re only lightly unsure of that now, you caught your sudden laughter with a snicker as you watched aunt Moon send a disapproving look to Sun, who was completely unbothered by it and instead was laughing as she held a gleam of amused approval. Your attention returned to your purple-haired aunt though as she pushed your hand to the side to begin working on wrapping both your arms and palms with gauze, your stomach rumbling with demands as she began to speak what you could only hope were her final words for now, time was slipping away and you knew auntie Sun was leaving tomorrow morning for a new bounty, so it all had to be finished tonight.

“I am going to let you know I’m blatantly ignoring the fact that you just happened to have some of my broth tucked away in your inventory somehow, but I also want you to start assuming that you need to trade with coins, it’s not often you can pay with services nowadays, so it’ll keep you out of that sort of trouble. We shouldn’t have just assumed you knew that, so now you know. Anyways, what was it you bought with the price of some perfectly good broth and a couple of crystals?”

You hummed gratefully while flexing your bandaged hands, the ache now only a husk of its former self, while your aunt Moon began putting things in the woven straw box, Sun was finishing her water, but her oceanic orbs were set upon your satchel with the shared curiosity of your wife. Smiling dismissively you adjusted the strap as you spoke up, grateful that she was finished, -you were sure your stomach was going to eat itself if you didn’t find some food to hold you off until dinner, and looked out the window trying to spot your offender in the off chance she may suddenly stumble out of hiding from the flora. No, she has surely given up just as you had, the things you conned her out of just weren’t worth all the effort to retrieve; if anything you could just find her again and return the tools with some coins this time as compensation and explain why you did what you did; it was obvious you both were in the wrong.

“That does explain why the merchant chased me throughout the woods. If I come across her again I’ll make it up to her with that in mind next time, I had to climb the trees trying to outrun her. And don’t worry, what I grabbed wasn’t important, now I gotta go work on that project I mentioned, if I could be left alone while I work I’d greatly appreciate it. I’ll probably be done after dinner, so you can fetch me then, I just want to get this done without having to rely on either of you. See you both later tonight, okay?”

With your mind absorbed in the plans of the finer details you had to work on you didn’t pause to look at them for their reactions to see whether or not you truly were done, seeming to decide that at the very least that you were completely done with the conversation as you beelined it to the stairs, eager to enter your room with a hum hidden behind your lips, missing the confused looks shared behind. You needed as much time as you could get, no matter if you were almost done, there was always something to improve upon after all, and with you aiming to be completely done before dinner so you can immediately reveal what you had been working on right after the meal. You had already gotten the bodies finished, -or specifically, you had carved them into a shape you were satisfied enough with to continue, you just needed to carve in some extra details and embed the things you finished today into them, then you can probably find other things to do with them if you had the extra time. It was a lot of work, you had been working on this project for nearly two months, and you hope that earlier your aunt Moon hadn’t noticed the missing medicinal objects, you’ve had you force yourself to learn a bit more first aid than you already knew lest you blew your cover whenever you nicked yourself with the knife or the wood dug so deep into you it left an annoyingly buried splinter. If she noticed and mentioned it after tonight you would be able to easily come clean, but as of right now you had to do one of the things you weren’t exactly the best at with your aunts, being secretive, it’s probably best you just temporarily isolate yourself to focus solely on getting these last touches done. The stairs creaked with their growing age, pictures of memories hanging up on the wall while you walked down the hall to your room, quickly closing the door behind you before emptying everything out of your satchel to carefully lay out the materials and tools in reach, -be it ones you already had tucked away in your belongings or the newest additions you had on hand, starting to work with revitalized determination.

--

The energetic aura that kept the room so warm and bright felt as if it had left to trail after your retreating figure, your words gave the darker of the two women you left behind an uncomfortable weight in her tongue, like scratching in a spot only to miss the itch, and from the silence of her usual bubbly active wife she wasn’t the only one with the sour aftertaste. She turned to look at those bright sapphire eyes she fell in love with, pushing aside how their gleam was darkened slightly with a perturbed shadow, -it was her job to catch these negative emotions like moths from a closet for it never suited her comforting flame to be anything besides happy, and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder to lead her to the kitchen, opening her lips to comfort her.

“Hey, I’m sure after their little adventure today Y/n is just tired from it all, let’s just let them work on their project as they asked. Now, why don’t you help me with dinner tonight? I know I’m going to miss cooking with my sweet little wife.”

At the end of her words she had managed to pull up a palm that no matter how many callouses it gained from the work it did, it would forever be soft to her and pressed to her knuckles, then her palm before kissing her forehead and stepping back, a smile only truly able to uphold one corner of her mouth. It was enough to gain a smile in return, even rewarded with some precious blush, but as soon as it emerged onto her starlight’s face it fell again and she turned away to rummage through the cabinets and shelves, evidently tonight's dinner already decided in her mind. An absentminded hum followed along to the busy golden bee’s gatherings, not even the herbs on the hanging wrack were spared, -even if she had to pull the ones her wife wanted down for her, and progressively she pieced together what dish they would be making, the ingredient pattern strikingly similar.

"Moonie, do you think we did something that upset Y/n, and they don't want to let us know? I know I sometimes forget they're not as young as I think they are, but did we make them feel small by being too pushy? Oh Moon, what if they feel like a burden and force themselves to be independent of us?"

The taller witch could only listen to her woes as her hands helped her love with preparing the ingredients for the dish, -feeling it best to not mention the fact they were preparing Y/n's favorite dish for dinner, while holding her tongue as it instinctively filled with the desire to spout whatever it may have taken to reassure her, and to possibly calm her own stirring tides. It was tempting to give whatever honeyed words that could distract her from any troubles, but the raisin-haired woman knew that's all they would be, -honeyed words inflated with hopeful reassurance yet lacking any truth, for the questions leaving her lips were the very ones encouraging trouble within her mind. With a sigh she instead opted to grab a knife after reaching around her wife's body, deciding upon her next words carefully, testing her tongue hidden away before speaking with a soft tone as she grabbed some of the vegetables.

"Sunshine… I can't say for certain I have any answers to our questions, but I believe for now all we can do is show them how we support most of all they do and ask later. If we did, they'll tell. We can't just assume we're the ones that have wronged them, and that's for the chance anyone has done them wrong, well anyone besides that merchant. Could you go out to the backyard and bring in the pitcher of tea, please? I made your favorite for tonight. I’m going to go out front to start the fire and get the stew started, you’re up for the rest of the dicing, alright?”

By the time the last word left her lips, she had finished cutting the vegetables and scooped them into a bowl to be cradled easily in her arm, taking a moment to kiss the cheek of her retreating ray of pleasant sunlight, flashing a comforting smile before she turned to make quick work of the instructions she had given to herself. The sun continued to slide down the sky, the warmth its presence brought following along with it like a lost child, leaving the once gentle breeze to be more of a larger being, not exactly overbearing, but it was enough to make her consider running back inside to grab a jacket; she decided against it knowing the fire she’ll hover around is going to keep her more than warm enough, enough confidence to wave off the darkening air. It was enough to remind her spring hasn’t arrived quite yet, a fact that slips her mind with how nice it’s been lately, especially in the present moments as she gathered some timber to feed the small flames starting, with the serene atmosphere she’s grateful to share with her loved ones. Around her the birds gossiping amongst themselves about the day’s events, -she had no doubt Y/n’s scene was sprinkled somewhere in their calls, the songs of creatures hidden within the whistling trees with the tease of budding leaves, the ground taking advantage of the watered soil to send the early bit of sprouts and grass pushing through its surface, snowfall replaced with morning frost as spring snuck up slowly but surely into the woods. Fanning the flames she unhooked her ladle and began tossing the mix of crushed herbs and cut-up vegetables into the water, feeling the growing wind play with her hair, the witch was aptly reminded why she kept her cauldron outside instead of inside with the smoke it brought to her, forcing her nose to scrunch up. She didn’t hate the smell per se, but she wasn’t a fan of it, and if she had her cauldron inside their home the presence of burning embers would be constantly thick in the air, enough to truly make her head hurt and eyes water worse than it did now when a gust was thrown into her face. Stepping out of the wind’s path she threw some dirt on the flames to lower them as she hear a distant croaking nearly hidden in the creaking of old wood, waiting for any other to join in and truly tell them whether spring has arrived, they’ve yet to hear all three so far, as a result, they’ll simply continue taking in the winter weather safely with the hopes it’ll remain kind until spring bleeds through.

Another noticeable creak from a swaying wooden body somewhere among the others brought a stray thought into the light, Y/n had mentioned the first warm day after a cold night was the best time to start putting taps into maple trees to gather sap, and although she knew they’d missed the timeframe this year making some homemade maple syrup seemed like an activity she’d be happy to do the next time winter thawed away. It was a calm moment she took to wade through her thoughts, fishing for anything she needed to sort through in the meantime, -any about Y/n were promptly set inside a bucket to look back at after dinner when they got answers, while she made sure the stew didn’t boil or simmer more than it needed, the aroma it had begun to give off was enough to nearly convince her it was good as is. It seemed however that throughout all of the sounds she could pick up, the raisin-haired witch could pick up the sound of her wife’s footfalls through the grass, and when she turned her head to look at the shorter witch she was immediately reminded of a fact that made her smile brighten. No matter how long winter stretched itself out to be, no matter if it ever decided to spend its final moments with cruel wrath, she would be perfectly fine, for as long as Sun was in her embrace she would have a personal ray of sunshine to bring spring into their household with every moment spent together. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders she handed her wife the ladle before watching as she added in chunks of skinned potatoes and diced bits of the venison they had gathered from one of the hunters in the village over at the northern outskirts, the crackling of the flames reminding the two incessantly of their dangerous presence, they both wordlessly enjoyed the moment before she broke the silence, a smile in her voice.

“I heard one of them just before you came out here, what about you? Have you heard the tree frogs sing yet? I was thinking after one of us hears all three we can plan what to do for this year’s garden, I seem to recall the sweet alyssum candies I made last year had barely filled the jar for more than a month or two.”

The topics she chose were so far from what either had on their minds it was such an obvious distraction, but it was one they both welcomed, especially as the eldest smiled with guilty mischief, chuckling as she looked away to shrug in an unabashedly false ‘I have no idea’ motion, in return making her laugh alongside the other. This was a lot more appreciated than the slippery cycle of ‘what ifs’ that no doubtedly hovered between the two like an overfilled cloud eager to spill, and they both were well aware of what usually happened if they spilled without one another around to brighten the experience even if by a little bit. Together she held her wife close, watching the stew and taking care of controlling the flames, as the sun lowered so low its rays could only barely flow past the tree trunks, too short to grace the outreached limbs that forever searched the sky, the branches of the trees becoming shadow coated frames until illuminated by the light pouring from the cottage’s watchful eyes. It wasn’t until finally when the first star had blinked awake above their heads they decided the stew had finally been finished cooking, the skies a beautiful display as the once blue faded gold was now doused with purple tones melting out of red tints. The two women grabbed a larger bowl to pour it all into and carried it back inside, the smell of dinner seeming to be so strong neither had to call for Y/n to come down to eat with them as their ever-growing child emerged in a gay mood, a giddy bounce in every step; it didn’t matter that Y/n wasn’t biologically theirs, the human child that was spat out of the woods onto their doorstep, -specifically her cauldron, was theirs now and they were adamant on raising them as their own, refusing to give them back easily. The contrast between the lulled moods that muted their fretting minds compared to your eager cheerfulness was enough to give her and her wife whiplash, but it also was enough to put a comforted smile on their faces, -it reassured them as just much as it confused them with a sneaking thought, did they overthink that severely? Nevertheless, her love left her side to fetch the pitcher of tea while she moved to set the bowl of stew down, smiling as you set the table eagerly to get your serving, and for a brief moment, she wondered if you had ever eaten lunch, though the thought flickered away as quick as the flames within the lanterns illuminating to make up for the dissipating sunlight. You all sat in silence, eating your meals together, and the animated way you savored your food was noticeably different from the two eating alongside you, but that held no effect over any of you, the dinner overall being both comfortable and silently enjoyable.

--

After you had happily finished the third helping of your favorite stew you had finally felt full enough to be satisfied, making sure to voice your gratitude and compliment your favorite chefs, before deciding to truly show your gratitude as you opted to do the night’s dishes instead of either aunt, making aunt Moon smile and nod while aunt Sun dramatically swiped some invisible sweat off her forehead, making you giggle as you gathered their bowls and utensils.

“Thanks for sparing me little comet, though your auntie Moon and I need to talk to you about something, so meet up with us in the living room once you’ve finished, alright? It's nothing serious, I promise, or else I’d probably be getting sat down and talked to along with you.”

You balanced the three bowls on your hip while you listened to your aunt, even if you were confused as to why whatever they needed to discuss with you they never mentioned over dinner or right now, so even if she said it wasn’t that serious you were that it at the very least had enough weight to make them have to bring it to the living room. You didn’t want to let her see your hesitance so you instead nodded with a grin, using your other hand to give a saluting motion before grabbing the soap rag and leaving the comforting feel of the kitchen by slinking out the back door and walking to the front yard, the jacket equipped to your person held onto that warmth but it was like sand falling through its fingers, just as your thoughts were flying past like wisps of clouds slipping your own. The sun had since disappeared after your second bowl, the stars now awake enough to shine over you while encouraging the moon to join them further in the sky, watching you as you used the glowing eyes of the cottage windows to illuminate your way to the cauldron, fanning the dead embers in the off chance any were still actively dying, and smiling when some of them shined with their amber glow. Using your hand you fanned at the ash to force-feed the ashes until small flames grew to reignite the fire, then you set the dishes onto the forest floor before quickly making a quick stop at the well in order to return with a bucket of water, pouring it into the cauldron, and getting to work cleaning the few dishes, -the giant iron bowl included. As the distant wolf called for the moon among the nocturnal critters while they came out with their unique songs you dived into your thoughts, trying to figure out just what the mysterious talk would be about, were they suspicious of you and your admittedly not quite a fool-proof project?

Had auntie Moon taken notice of the difference in medical supplies, did that extra gauze come back to haunt you for the ointment you may or may not have spilled? How would you explain you had nicked yourself during your whittling session late at night when you should have been sleeping, and didn’t want to wake anyone up, let alone have to come up with why you were suddenly bleeding, -even you had to admit you weren’t the best of liars. If they were going to interrogate you about your recent activities, you’ll have no choice but to come clean, which would be devastating as you had come so far hiding the secret, so close to surprise them with your matching gifts, though you did suppose you were going to give it to them after dinner anyways. They had come out so lovely too, sure, you have no idea what your aunts will use them for since you weren’t magical and couldn’t exactly make a magical tool, but they could be used as pretty walking canes if they ever acted like old ladies! You knew you were going to use yours to help you with your chores, it’s perfect for extra arm length, or even reaching things so you won’t have to ask aunt Moon all the time to grab things for you, you’d just have to be careful knocking them into your hold. Besides, yes they had a good bit of fragile things making up different parts of them, but they were surprisingly durable, which absolutely wasn’t tested by you somehow accidentally throwing one out of your window, -sometimes what you do astounds you as much as any baffled onlooker, you were sure if anyone used any of them as a bat the only thing breaking would be whatever they were swinging at. You chuckled at the image of auntie Moon using her gift as a bat while playing ball with auntie Sun, letting your thoughts continue to humor you while you finished drying everything up and proceeded to snuff the fire out with a handful of the scarce leftover snow with enough dirt to be proper suffocation material, waiting for everything to be put out before you could head back inside. By now you were humming a familiar wordless tune you can never be sure where you’ve heard it from, your entertained mood evident in every step as you put the clean dishes back into the cupboards and hung the soap rag back up where it belonged, then you promptly knocked any dirt on your hands onto your pant legs as you entered the living room; it was evident a silent discussion had already started without you.

Instead of questioning what your favorite witches may have been talking about you stood behind the chair your auntie Moon sat and gently pulled her hair over the back of it, slowly running your fingers through to comb her enchanting dark hair, it always seemed to rival the beautiful evening skies, and you were always half expecting stars to eventually awaken and shine within her elegant locks, both of your aunt’s had lovely hair; they were lovely in general, it was nearly enough to make you feel plain in comparison, but you knew that wasn’t the case, for if it were why had they kept you even after your debt was paid? It was like running your hand against a prideful raven’s feathers, knowing the trust you had gained made sure you were special enough to be doing such an action, it was so wordlessly awarding, and it always made you feel so happy when your aunt let you do her hair like you truly were family. Any tension against the pleasant air had left with every stroking motion, it was as if you were forcefully brushing out the negativity from her mind, and you didn’t have to see her face to know of the relaxed smile on her lips. You were careful not to tug even if it never bothered her, occasionally letting your nails tenderly scratch against her scalp, though with the barely noticeable way she leaned into you whenever you did, it was as if you had scratched an itch she wasn’t aware she had, it was funnily enough reminiscent of a cat getting scratched under her chin. Running your fingers through you knew there weren’t going to be any tangles to catch them like a net, but continued to do it out of habit from doing your hair, though you paused for a moment as she cleared her throat, letting you know the ‘talk’ was being initiated, whatever the topic may be. Looking across the room while you pulled a small ribbon from your pocket, your eyes caught your other aunt watching you from her chair, the smile on her lips reassuring, yet the gleam in her eyes even seemed to let you know she expected to have her hair done next, making you stifle a giggle as you continue playing with your auntie Moon’s hair.

“Y/n, your aunt and I have noticed you acting a bit different lately, it normally wouldn’t bother us since you’re a growing child, but we’ve begun to worry if we’ve done something wrong. “

“You’re acting distant and we feel a bit left out comet.”

Your aunt Moon paused, shooting a look you couldn’t see to interrupting wife, before sighing, -a motion you could feel under your fingertips as you finished tying her night-encased silken strands into a relaxed fishtail plait, taking a moment to admire how your green ribbon contrasted against her hair before moving over behind your golden aunt, eager as her to repeat the process with her shorter hair. The admiration you held for the strands that made your already optimistic golden aunt seem to glow was shown through your tender touches, it was such a unique natural color no light was ever needed to see her fun adventurous shine. You didn’t like this talk, thinking about your past actions thoroughly through their point of view, feeling your chest swell with the familiar blooms of guilt as you realized yeah, it did seem like you were distancing yourself from them, but you waited for your auntie Moon to finish what she was saying before you rushed to correct your wrong.

“Yes, as your aunt Sun put it, we feel left out. You seem to be growing independent so quickly, and that’s alright, but you shouldn’t feel like you suddenly have to be as independent from us as possible, you’re always supported by us, and you can always ask us for help. We are your aunties after all.”

As your fingers combed through the hair rivaling the golden sunrise, you held on to her words almost impatiently, and as she finally finished speaking you opened your lips; the guilt from the easy misconception of your actions was nearly unbearable as you took note of her tone. Your aunt Moon's words were their usual calm pace, even with curious highlights as if they were searching for the reason why you acted so, but all you could hear was the undertone of hesitance. You could only easily focus on how it felt as if she was on cracked ice while being scared of startling you away like a frightened deer from their confrontation, this wasn't what you meant to do. You pulled out another ribbon from your pocket as you spoke, shaking your head with a fierce denial, your eyes trying to reassure her as you tied your aunt Sun's hair into a bun, your voice trickling like a rapid stream once you got started.

“Wha- No-! Er, no, I mean, truly, you guys have done nothing wrong, this is all my fault, I’m not distancing myself on purpose, I promise! By the stars, I did this so weirdly, and it’s probably the worst way to reveal this, but I was just acting so strange because I was hiding something. You know that project I mentioned? It was a gift for you, both of you. I guess now is a time as any to give them, even though it’s probably horrible timing in reality, but could you close your eyes and extend your hands palms up? I’ll be just a moment, hold on.”

Once you finished what you said you spared no time for their questions as you rushed up the stairs in possibly record timing only to slide down the railing, -you had no time to rush down the stars with the same purposeful adrenaline only to risk stumbling down, even though you nearly slid onto your back as you skidded onto the wooden floors. Each one was held in your arms like a collection of scrolls, -a task you’ve done while running to and fro with auntie Sun during a ritual preparation, before you set the specialized staffs into each set of hands they belonged to, huffing ever so slightly as your tired body caught up with itself. The reason that pushed you to show them being overshadowed as anxious excitement bubbled like a fresh brew, nearly bouncing in your spot as you lifted your hands, your staff that was in your hand slipping from your grasp and flying out of the room with a thud, making you gasp with a choked laugh. Wincing at the noise you turned to look at their curious expressions, though Moon was now obviously more curious about the sudden noise than the weighted item in her hand, so you laughed reassuringly while speaking before walking over to your poor decorated stick, noticing that their hands were exploring each detail. 

“Ack, um, open your eyes! Sorry, I accidentally threw mine. This took a few months in preparation, and I probably could have done better if the due date wasn’t today, but here we go! Happy Valentine’s day aunties!”

You jogged out of the room to grab your staff in a laughable game of fetch, this was the second time you’d done something like this, at least the first time reassured you nothing would have been broken this go round, and when you returned to your gasping aunts that self-disappointment was vaporized, a prideful joy blooming so brightly in your chest you felt it could have burst from your ribs. Each witch was admiring her staff, eyes soaking every detail with amazement so raw in their gazes, the tender way they examined the glass work and carvings with their fingers, it made you feel as if the silent praise was enough to make you melt in a puddle like the snow outside, -you doubt you’d care if the earth absorbed you in the same way as well. Moon held hers upright, turning it in a slow rotation as she tested how it felt for her hands to wrap around the indent points where you made sure to direct where the handler’s palms were supposed to grasp onto, her fingers inspecting if with a tender touch as if it’d be tainted or bruise if she pressed any harder. Each staff was carved from the same wood, dark mesquite that had fallen, -coming across the poor thing was what started off the entire staff project, but they were shaped differently, for Moon, the head curved into an enclosed circle like a hollow moon, for Sun, it curved outward like an outreached hand, and yours simply stood upright, the only interesting thing about the head was what was inside. With the uncommon chips or unwanted scars left from accidental cuts you smoothed out that you were a practicing beginner, but even then you were proud of how well the carvings came out, especially with the varnished shine that brought out the beauty of the wood, and how even though each was unique, they all were connected, just like their owners. Each staff had a patterned design, something unique matching their owner, carved paths to guide the faux vines rooted within them, a set of specific glass flowers adorned to the vines, and wooden fungi embedded into their bodies; despite how vague the theme for each staff was, it worked satisfyingly, neither one so crowded it was unpleasant all the while having enough static to keep the eyes and hands entertained.

For auntie Sun, her staff was adorned with a ribbon of witch butter flowing counterclockwise, while flowing clockwise was the lookalike ivy that was so firmly fastened so securely into the wood it wouldn’t be faulted if one thought they couldn’t cut it while at the same time, it looked to be loose enough it imitated naturally growing vines. Throughout the vine were decorative bundles of three types of glass flowers, specifically snowdrops, honeysuckles, and butterfly orchids, enough detail in each of them their identification was easy if you knew what each looked like already, and they were set together in a way that flattered the others, all in different stages of blooming. One of the more eye-attracting things was the head of the staff, especially what the carved hand seemed to be holding onto, the chunk of bumblebee jasper carved with much more noticeable skill as it took a bright shape of a golden sun with wavy rays held tenderly in the wooden hand’s palm. You watched as she held her staff on its side, tracing the sun curiously before discovering the small sigil tucked into the back of it, - a detail barely visible unless someone was truly looking for small things such as that, and her sapphire optics flashed to you, making you turn to look at your auntie Moon instead, bashful heat rising to your cheeks. Aunt Moon’s staff was similar to auntie Sun’s but entirely different all the same. Like Sun’s it had vines rooted into it, only these were faux black sweet potato vines curling counterclockwise, and the flowers were bundles of scattered nightshade, periwinkles, and forget-me-nots, balanced in their locations to compliment one another in different stages of bloom each distinct in their details. Instead of witch butter, her staff had caps of vibrant violet webcaps nestled into the wood itself, giving the illusion everything was growing naturally out of the wood itself, the groups were made of caps of different sizes, and although it wasn’t clear ribbon like your aunt Sun’s, they created a broken spiral flowing clockwise; even though there was more space unoccupied with faux flora, there were small words and pictures carved into her staff, a sigil of peace they taught you and a sigil for both a happy family and marriage. Also like Sun’s staff the head was the most eye-catching, for in the center of the hollow circle was a chunk of fluorapatite carved into a waning moon, hanging from a small piece of vine as if a suspended blossom, a small barely noticeable rune carved into the back of the crystal.

Suddenly you were aware of the two sets of eyes on the staff in your own hands, making you hold it out more subtly for them to examine, your smile never leaving your face as the silence was filled with so much sound, -keeping it pleasant instead of deafening, while you grew conscious about how your staff wasn’t as humbly extravagant as theirs, but you knew it was noticeable how there was still effort put into its creation so they’d match together. Your staff was more of a mix of both of theirs like it too had the vines, but they were a combination of both ivy and black sweet potato vines twirled together, and your ribbon of wooden fungi was the remainder of witch butter with sparingly placed bundles of the violet webcaps in the gaps. Your glass flowers were buttercups, magnolias, and lilacs, while your crystal centerpiece was a corked bottle made of fluorite embedded into the very wood itself, -a bulge similar to pushing your thumb in a ball of raw cookie dough surrounded the bottle’s base, and the rune in the others was set into the back of the star fastened as the cork, a rune to connect your little family through these walking sticks. Overcoming the mix of raw emotions flooding you all, you stepped to them to hug each of your aunts, though aunt Moon stood up to follow you so when you hugged her wife she squished you in between them, the three of you returning the loving embrace the other two gave for a good solid minute. The feeling of being so cared for, of being so loved in this family, it made you feel like butter and you couldn’t be any more grateful as you were the first to break free from the hug, looking between the staffs propped against the now empty chairs and the one in your hand, then to your aunts who still had one arm wrapped around each other, their smiles matching yours in their ways, and you knew they felt what you did.

“Thank you Y/n, this means a lot to us, more than you’re probably aware.”

“Yeah, thank you! These are so cool, you better believe this is coming along with me to my next travels, it’ll be my new good luck charm since this one over here keeps telling me I’m gonna run out of it soon.”

After they voiced their gratitude towards your hard work you all three began talking about them, leading to you answering questions about their designs, the process of making them, and some fun facts about what you included. You made sure to include how those from the northern village had a large hand in helping you with the tasks, there was the jeweler that carved the crystal pieces for you in exchange for you bringing him five basket fulls of certain crystal types you could find in the caves scattered around the forest or the bottle maker who made the glass flowers if and only if you brought her a very specific type of sand from this strange witch so they would be as strong as rocks with the charm of thin stained glass, and of course including a more detailed summary of the events earlier this morning. It was a difficult path to create these, but you wouldn’t change a thing for the reward you received made it all worthwhile, something you admitted to them before mentioning something else.

“You guys are my family, and I’ll always lean on you, especially right now I know I still have so much to learn, and who else would be better suited than my lesbian aunties? Trust me when I say no matter how independent I become as I grow up, I’ll come to my favorite witches for instruction. Just know I’ll always be your problem, you two are stuck with me like I’m stuck with both of you. Besides, while carving the other night I got my finger, and when I tried what you usually do aunt Moon it just barely learned, so first aid is most certainly one of the things I have to learn from you.”

At those final words, said aunt Moon looked at you and your hand with sudden scrutiny, making you laugh like a child and hide on the other side of your aunt Sun, trying to get out of reach of the staff that was now being pointed to you in a playfully threatening manner, causing your golden aunt to raise her hand in surrender.

“Alright, I admit it! I stole something, just be gentle, miss guard.”

Her sudden admission made you both freeze in confusion, and once she knew both of you were hooked she made a show of looking side to side, hands still suspended while she awaited the magical words that left her raisin-haired lover’s lips, playing along while wondering where this was going.

“What did you steal?”

“Your heart~”

She then jumped forward to hug Moon, the force making the two fall and even though you moved to help, you only got pulled down with them. Laughter filled the lively air, even as you sat up beside the two while your aunt Sun continued to simply lay on top of aunt Moon, who was far from complaining about the situation, and you poked her pale cheek with a snicker to steal her attention slightly.

“Do you think you could put the medical stuff on my tab?”

You three continued to play around, making jokes for the simple reason to hear the other two laugh and savoring the time you all were spending together, the sounds of pleasant enjoyment were as loud into the forest as the calls of the lone wolf were, but the forest didn’t seem to mind. They were sounds dearly missed and with their return, they were welcomed back with open arms, for the small family of witches and the human were accepted as a part of these woods as the very trees themselves. The moon eventually was high enough to be nestled in the longing arms of the calling stars, by the time it had arrived overhead the family decided to gather rest and said their goodnights, climbing into bed knowing that this page of your story will never be forgotten.

--

Thistles had long since overtaken her garden, the smoke clawing its way into all of her senses, as all the eternal flowers, -flowers that were in reality as fragile as the living, hid from her outreached hands in the underbrush like forgotten treasures; she refuses to forget them. All she can see now as she flew away were the rhododendrons blooming from her heart, their stems suffocating, while the wood against her hand did nothing but echo back the laughter of bells to never chime again. They rang, be it of support or torment, she could never be sure, while the ghost of a life that once was finally removed its hand from her throat to release her voice. Her anguished cries came out in choking sobs, salty drops of rain leaving cloudy eyes to water the witch’s cruel bouquet, for she knew they could never be enough to put out the fire.

[ramblingsofafanatic]

You promised to wake me up

Summary: Luke has a bad headache and so Din takes over for a bit.

Word Count: 691

Relationships: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker

Warnings: None.

Can also be read on AO3 here!

Din arrives back from his most recent job to the sight of Luke and the younglings sitting in the field outside the temple as the Jedi leads them through a meditation exercise. To an untrained eye everything would seem completely fine, but Din is not untrained when it comes to noticing things about Luke and can tell almost immediately that something is bothering him, his shoulders are a bit more tense than usual, he seems to be trying his best not to squint and most of all, he’s just talking them through it, not going through the exercises himself like he usually does.

Din sits under a tree on the outskirts of the clearing and watches quietly, Luke looks over as the exercise comes to an end and smiles tightly. He tells the kids to head inside to the mess before making his way to where Din had just stood up from his spot under the tree.

“Hey love.” Luke says softly, raising his hand to Din's neck to guide their foreheads together, humming in content at the cool metal of Din’s helmet.

“Hello cyar’ika, are you okay?” Din replies. Luke looks back up at Din and his smile turns into a slight grimace, being close like this allows Din to see the bags under the Jedi’s eyes and all the miniscule movements that give away Luke’s issue.

“Another headache?” Din says.

“Yea, it’s fine though, not that bad.” Luke tries to smile more authentically but Din can see right through it.

“Hmm, you should go lie down, I’ll feed and entertain the foundlings.” Din says as he starts to guide the other back inside the temple.

“Younglings, and no it’s fine, really, you just got home from a job, you should be the one resting.” Luke replies. Din rolls his eyes at Luke’s stubborn selflessness.

“I got plenty of rest on the way back, you look tired, take a nap, just a few hours, I’ll wake you for their afternoon lessons.” Din insists. Luke thinks over this for a bit before caving and agreeing but only after making Din promise to wake him up, of which Din does. They part ways as Luke heads to their bedroom and Din heads to make Lunch. The foundlings ask Din where Luke went and Din gently explains that the Jedi master wasn’t feeling very good so he’s taking a nap but will be completely fine afterwards.

They make lunch and Din takes them back outside to go on a small walk in an attempt to try and keep the temple as quiet as possible. Din conveniently forgets to wake Luke up and takes over the afternoon lessons for the day. He didn’t know exactly what Luke was going to teach but the kids at least learned some useful stuff.

Din is cleaning up from dinner after having sat the kids down in front of the holoprojector in the main room, when Luke emerges from his nap. “You promised to wake me up” Luke says with a glare, but being so bed ruffled and soft looking took a lot of the menacing effect away.

“Oh did I? I must have forgotten” Din replies, smiling at the other. “I did teach them some stuff this afternoon, if that helps any. May not have been what you would have taught them but it’s still useful to them.”

“I don’t care about the lesson, I care that you promised to wake me and then didn’t” Luke pouts.

“Would you have gone and taken a nap if I didn’t tell you i’d wake you?” Din replies

“...No.”

“See, and you seem much better now that you have.” Din says. Luke grumbles a bit under his breath but he did have to admit the headache is loads better. Din moves away for a bit and comes back with dinner. He sits with Luke as he eats, they talk about how the kids have been as the bounty hunter was away and how Dins job went. Then Din washes up the last of the dishes before joining the kids in the main room to watch the rest of the holofilm.

[astrolo-t]

Morning Sun Pt. 2

Pairing: Ellie x Reader

Word Count: 1.2k~

Warnings: MDNI pls, Cursing, Alcohol, LOTS of Angst, Ellie running at literally any sign of conflict or messy feelings.

A/N: Enjoy :)

SPRING

Ellie did in fact stay for more than just that night. Stubborn as she was, even she knew that leaving in her condition was not the right thing to do. And truthfully, it wasn’t like she had anywhere to go. So she stayed, and strangely enough, it just worked. As time passed and her wounds healed, the two of you fell into your own little routine of sorts.  The housework and chores were split between the two of you and more often than not Ellie did the majority of them. She was determined to ‘earn her keep’ is what she’d said. Though you knew in your gut it was all in the brunette's efforts to keep busy. You had your little arguments here and there, the stubbornness in both of you causing you to butt heads. But you also had fun at times. In fact, sometimes, if she let you, if you were being just a tad too ridiculous, Ellie would give you a smile. An actual real smile.

You’d put her up in your guest room, which had gone unoccupied for quite some time as it'd previously been used for storage. You’d cleaned it out and made up the bed for Ellie. However, you weren’t sure that she actually slept in it. Most days you’d wake up to her already up and about, wandering about the property or fixing some obscure thing in the house that you swore you’d get around to. It wasn’t necessarily a problem per se, at least not yet. But you couldn’t stop yourself from getting increasingly concerned every morning when you saw her looking more tired than the day before. Finally, one morning while you’re doing dishes together you decide to confront her on her strange nighttime habits.

“Ellie,” You start carefully, “the bed in your room….is it not comfortable?”

Her eyebrows raise a bit at your question and her hands momentarily halt in their rinsing of the dishes as you hand them to her. “No, it's fine. Why?”

You look at her, pausing mid scrub, “Cause’ you’re not sleeping in it. You’re not sleeping at all”

“It’s fine Y/n, nothin’ to worry about.” she murmurs quickly drying her hands off, before taking off outside.

You roll your eyes, calling her name. She doesn’t respond which has you then following her out the back screen door wet hands and all, hot on her heels as she heads down toward the lake not too far from the house.

“It is not ‘fine’ Ellie. Sleeping and eating are like, basic necessities for humans to function and you're doing neither of those things.” She whips around, finger pointed and mouth open ready to protest. “And don't tell me you're functioning ‘just fine’ cause’ you're not. We both know you’re not.”

She closes her mouth and looks off, eyebrows furrowing because yea, you were right. She was not getting any sleep. She tried, every goddamn night she tried. But the end result was always nightmares so terrifying that the tension in her body left her more exhausted than she’d been before. But you didn't need to know about that, no, she wouldn’t make her problems become someone else’s again. So instead of confiding in you she turns her back, walking away and plopping down against a nearby tree. Her eyes stare out at the lake and make no move to pay you any attention as you crouch down and start a little more softly, “You don’t eat, you’re irritable, you forget things, and-” you dip your head downwards in an attempt to catch her eyes. “You’re also starting to get some dark cir-”

“Ok!” She finally yells rising quickly to her feet.

“Ok, what?” You offer, from your spot still crouched on the ground. 

“Ok so I’m a trainwreck!” She bites out, “What the fuck do you want me to say!?” 

“I want you to be fucking real with me, Ellie!” You finally yell, meeting her at your full height now. “And stop lying to both of us!”

She looks at you, then away, the morning sun causing her green eyes to squint. Her shoulders shake slightly as she takes an uneven breath, kicking at some dirt with those old worn converse of hers.

“You don't actually have to tell me shit, let's be clear.” You start again, significantly softer, “As your friend, I’m going to care about you regardless. But also…as your friend, I want to know what’s going on so I can help.”

“We’re friends?” She laughs sardonically as if that very idea were preposterous and maybe it hurts your feelings more than you’d care to admit. Nodding her head she continues, “Yea we’re definitely friends after knowing each other for a few weeks.” She regards you for a second, noticing the way your gaze was a mixture of concern and something else. Something she hated more than anything. Pity. She scoffs, “You know nothing about me or who I am at all. How much fucking blood is on my- ”

“Ellie!” You yell, silencing her. You shake your head and whisper, “Come on, let’s not do that.”

From previous arguments you’d picked up on one of the brunette's defense mechanisms. Hurting you, so you’d feel the same dark, sticky, coil of sadness and anger in the pit of your stomach that she carried around everyday. 

At that, the fire in her eyes dies down just enough for her to turn around, running her fingers through her hair and plopping down against the tree once more. Instead of sitting next to her, this time you walk over, sitting on the opposite side, pulling your knees to your chest.

“You’re not wrong.” You admit, “Maybe we’re not quite friends. But…I’d like to be.” Running your hands over your face you continue, “Just….just talk to me Ellie.”

And after a long bout of silence…she does. She starts slowly, recounting how she’d ended up hurt in the first place. But pretty soon, the dam breaks and everything comes hurling out. Not perfectly because talking, especially about herself, wasn't Ellie’s strong suit. Despite her tumbling over her words and the frustration as a result every now and then, you stayed and listened patiently as she told you about Jackson, and the people she left there. Seattle and the trail of bodies. Joel. Dina. 

And Abby.

It should’ve been a relief to learn more about Ellie and who she was. And it was, however, there was also another nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you couldn’t shake. 

Fear. 

Not of Ellie physically, no. In your eyes she was no more capable of hurting you than you were to her. What scared you was her very obvious potential and need to self-destruct. What did that mean for you? Would you end up as another person left in the absence of her but never the same? Or worse, another potential source of trauma, as if she didn’t have enough of that already. Despite your most basic instincts telling you to just stop, stop caring about her, stop asking questions - you realize that it was already too late.

You’d see it through, whatever this was, to the very end. 

[sparrow-stunned]

Hii! I’m the anon who asked about ARFID and I’m so sorry I made you uncomfortable!! I’m completely fine with you taking the other route by the way because it still seems really interesting!! I hope you have a great day / night! :)

oh my gosh, please don't be feel bad! i'm happy that you were felt safe enough to ask me, and reading your request didn't make me uncomfortable at all! i was just sorry i couldn't fulfill your request, so hopefully this is an adequate alternative. as always, i hope your day goes well too💖

content warning: yandere themes, self-injurious behavior (i.e. self-starvation from hunger strike), medication, sedation, force-feeding, kidnapping.

word count: 0.7k

epimeles | yan albedo x reader

Albedo is certain it is not the taste.

Although his palate has been referred to as… strange by some, usually after he mentions the decadent taste of spiders habituating the roots of Irminsul tree, he is certain that the taste is not the issue at hand. People appreciated his cooking; you appreciated his cooking.

But whatever meal he brings to you, you refuse. He’s even tried studying recipes from outside Mondstadt, in hopes of appealing to your curiosity, but nothing. Sucrose and Timaeus, when he used them to test the taste, always praised his skill. But whatever he offers you, you merely shake your head. Curl into a tight ball, hands clenched around your legs. Refuse to look at the food… or him.

It is not your appetite either.

He’s seen you stare longingly at the steam rising from the plates of food, nose twitching as the scent diffused through air, chewing at your dry lips until flesh broke. Sucked at the blood, eyes fixated on the meal you had refused. Even then, you still shake your head and retreat from his offerings.

Sometimes when he is particularly persistent, spoon held against your lips despite your trembling, you gather up what is left of your strength to push him away. Or slap it away and watches food tumbles and splatter onto floor—eyes always mourning its loss. He never has the heart to resist your efforts.

Albedo glances at the cot in his laboratory. You lie asleep, unperceptive to the waking world. It’s taking its toll on you, he can tell. Shallow breathing, wan skin, protrusions of bone where there should smooth flesh. Sleep increased from a quarter of the day to a third. Then third to half.

Life is a strange thing, he muses. Under conditions of extreme starvation, the human body begins to eat itself. Autophagy. The biological process of self-eating. First is the fat. Supple skin, shrinking into wrinkles. Second is the muscle. Weakened limbs, collapsing under its own weight. It is a survival method of last resort.

In you, Albedo sees everything: the miracle of life, and the desperation of flesh to keep it.

But it can only last so long.

Your body is consuming itself, and you are wasting away. Flesh returning to chalk. Undoing the creation of life. I don’t want anything you give me, you had said, voice so weak in pleading. I can’t be with you like this. Albedo, you either let me go, or I let myself go. There’s no alternative. He had not expected you to last this long, despite your words.

What unexpected stubbornness. But there is an alternative. There is always an alternative. One just had to be willing to take it.

Albedo sighs and returns back to the results at hand. A tube of clear liquid, tailored to your body weight—what was left of it at any rate, after being ravaged by hunger. He had not wanted to do it this way, but he cannot accept the choices you offered him. You had to stay with him. You had to live. There is no compromise.

So he silently steps over, until he towers over your prone body. Pries open your lips—cracks and dried blood—and drips in the potion, drop by drop. Emotionless teal eyes follow the undulation of your neck as you swallow unconsciously. It’s a safeguard against your struggles. He does not want to cause injuries.

Esophageal lining were such delicate tissues, after all. They were meant to be handled with care.

This is the alternative he chooses. When you come to, choking at the fullness of your throat, you will find that you cannot move. You will feel a tube pushed down your throat, feel stomach distend from liquid sustenance, but that is all you can do. You will realize your limbs are so heavy that no matter how much your mind screams, you cannot move.

The art of sedation. Sensory neurons activated, but motor neurons silenced. All input and no output. It will be scary, he knows, the loss of control. The paralysis. He knows very well. Experience is a ruthless teacher, and from his master, Albedo had received the best education.

But at least you will live. At least you will not fade into charcoal and ash.

Albedo makes sure of it.

[bbyheedeungie]

Tales of the ring | Orphan! Jay AU Part 1

Pairings: Jay x Reader

Genre: fluff, angst, eventual smut, age gap (4 years)

Warnings: suggestive content, messy timeline

Synopsis: You've spent most of your lives together at a Catholic orphanage in a small town, with Jay being left there as an infant and you volunteering there since you were thirteen years old. Now twenty-three, every child in the orphanage looks up to you as their older sister. Well, except for that one stubborn kid named Jay.

You always tend to his cuts and bruises when he fell down after climbing on trees with his friends, but not after a long hour of bickering.

"Stop climbing trees if you're just gonna fall down!" You scold 9-year old Jay as you rummaged through the first aid kit.

"Just shut up and fix me up, woman." He demands, his arms crossed over his chest. You sigh.

"I'm just worried about you, okay? You could've broken a bone or something!" You reasoned with him. His eyes turns into slits, glaring at you.

"Are you calling me a wimp?" He challenges. Though it never crossed your mind, the thought of calling him a wimp was indeed amusing. You tried to suppress your laughter but it came out as a snort.

"Hey, I'm not a wimp. Drop it." Jay says, almost coming out as a whine. You nod, trying to calm yourself down from wanting to laugh. Cause you know Jay's going to end you if he even hears anything close to a giggle come out from your lips.

_

"Still as wimpy as ever, huh?" You teased him as you disinfected his wounded knees. He was sitting on the couch with you kneeled infront of him, and 16 year old Jay just can't seem to take his eyes off you.

Your lower lip is caught in between your teeth as you concentrated on his cuts, and Jay licks his own lips unconsciously.

At 20 years old, you have grown to be quite a lady, Jay notes. Beautiful, luscious hair that complimented the perfect features of your face, your body slightly plump in some places which gave you that womanly figure, dainty and gentle hands that cared for his wounds, any man would think of you as wife material. And Jay couldn't help but huff in annoyance at the thought of other men wanting you for themselves.

"And you're still as annoying as ever." He mutters before he pinched your cheeks hard, making you yelp in pain and involuntarily putting pressure on the cotton ball you were dipping onto his wound. Soon after, you were both crying from pain.

"How could you." He said in betrayal, clutching his wounded knee.

You always chased after him around the orphanage when he had a fever to make him take his medicine when he refused to drink them, dragging him by the back of his shirt to his room to make him rest.

"You can't just pull a stunt like that when I'm fixing up your cuts you dummy." You glared at him, massaging your reddened cheek.

_

"I don't want to stay in bed, woman. I wanna play outside!" 11-year old Jay huffs in annoyance, kicking off the blanket you've just placed on his body. You sighed and placed it back on him.

"Bold of you to call me a woman after I've just wrestled you at the lobby earlier." 15-year old you chuckled, remembering what you had to go through to make him go back to his room.

"Don't remind me, you were like a freaking hippo back there! Geez." Jay scrunches his nose and turns his back to you.

_

"You insufferable woman." He mutters as you tuck him into his bed. 18-year old Jay was just as irritable as ever, but only when it came to you.

"Yeah yeah." You rolled your eyes at him dismissively as you placed a cold compress to his forehead. He's such a big baby.

"Stop being a jerk for once and learn to take care of yourself, will you?" You scold him, leaning in to fix the position of his pillow. Jay's heartbeat goes nuts, with your body so close above him. He could just grab you by the waist then and there and hold you tight. Your feminine scent was so alluring, filling up his senses, your skin translucent in the moonlight shining through the windows and he even caught a glimpse of your cleavage through your thin, white dress shirt.

Shit, shit, shit. He thinks, fisting his blanket tightly. His cheeks glowed crimson red, but thankfully you thought it was just because of the fever.

_

Rest assured, Jay wasn't all that bad as others make him out to be, and you strongly believe this. You remember that one night, it was your fourteenth birthday but you didn't bother telling anyone. You didn't want to burden the sisters, and your family didn't care much about it either. But Jay did. He cared, and he remembered.

You sat on the roof, your secret hiding place, as you admired the starry sky. But it's not really a secret when Jay knows about it. The ten year old boy climbed up, grunting as he struggled keeping his balance. You flinched at the sound and panicked, but it immediately died down when you saw it was just him. He quietly sat beside you.

Silence took over as you sighed in content, taking in the peaceful evening.

"Happy birthday." Jay said, almost a whisper. Your head turns to him and he immediately looks the other way, refusing to meet your eyes.

"Thank you, Jay." You said in gratitude, not bothering to hide your smile. He still refused to look your way as he held out his fist.

"What is it?" You asked in confusion, furrowing your eyebrows at his closed hand. He sighs, taking your hand in his as he placed something cold and hard on your palm.

"It's for you." He says. You gasped, taking in the shiny object encrusted with tiny jewels that glinted in the moonlight.

"Jay, where did you get this?" You ask him, bewildered.

"The sisters said they found that ring in my pocket when they found me outside the door of the orphanage the night that they took me in. It's my most precious possession. In fact, it's my only possession." He says, laughing lightly as he looked up at the sky.

"Must be an heirloom, maybe you came from a wealthy family! Jay, I can't accept this. This is important to you!" You exclaimed, holding the ring back to him.

You're important to me. He thinks.

"Maybe, but they've left me here haven't they?" He simply shrugs.

"But why give it to me?" You asked, holding the ring close to your chest. Jay rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue.

"Hey, no more questions. I gave it to you as a birthday gift, so you better treasure it. Good night." He says and prepares to climb down, leaving you dumbfounded.

_

At nineteen, Jay was the oldest at the orphanage. He never got adopted, and younger kids would pick on him because of it.

"You never got adopted because your a weirdo."

"They can probably sense that you're useless."

But Jay being Jay, he'd beat them up everytime just because their faces annoy him. And you'd be the one to ask for forgiveness for his sake everytime he got in trouble. You knew him well enough to know that although he'd never admit it out loud, seeing other kids like Jungwon and Sunoo get adopted while he gets left behind hurt him more than it should.

"I'm very sorry for Jay's actions, please don't send him away." You begged to the Mother Superior's feet, and Jay couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Not of you, but of himself for having you go through all this for him.

"Noona, please you don't have to do this." He tells you softly, for once as he tries pulling you up to your feet but you just won't budge.

"I'm sorry Y/N, I know you have grown quite close to Jay for the past ten years. But he is now of legal age he can't just keep hurting minors." The mother superior, which is the head of the orphanage states.

"Jay promises he won't do it again, please." You continue to plead, at this point you were so close at kissing the sister's feet if that'll make them forgive Jay.

"What, when did I promised—." He says and you signal him to shut up. The sisters sigh, and decide to just punish Jay by making him work at the farm for a month. You thank them over and over, tears welling in your eyes.

"Y/N, may I have a word with you. Jay, you may retire to your room." The mother superior instructs. Jay looks at you hesitantly, before leaving.

"Have a seat." She commands you, and you oblige.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" You asked.

"Listen, dear. You're now twenty-three years old, you are at your ripest age of getting married. Not only that, but you're also one of the most beautiful maidens of this town. You can't spend your life at this orphanage forever. Won't you consider settling down soon?" She suggests, and you felt a lump in your throat, your heart feeling unease.

"That's alright, Mother Superior. I'm only twenty-three, I still have a lot to figure out in my life. When a man does take interest in me, I'll decide then." You assure her, and stand up to leave.

The next days, you'd wake up early to prepare breakfast for the kids and for Jay before he heads off to the farm. Jay being the stubborn boy he is, refuses to sit down and have breakfast and so on most days, you'd chase after him to bring him his breakfast and lunch box. He'd purposely walk faster, ignoring your shouts. A smirk never leaving his face.

"Jay! Jay! Wait!" You yelled, chasing your breath as you continued to run after him. But your quick steps were no match for his long strides.

"Jay you freaking dimwit! Haaaaalt!" You yell at the top of your lungs with all your might, and he finally stops in his tracks, turning to look at you.

"Oh, you've been calling for me? Did you need something?" He asks, feigning ignorance that you've been shouting his name for a good fifteen minutes. You huff, stomping towards him angrily. His face smug the whole time.

Others would think you're ready to punch him in the face, but instead you would take his hand and place his boxed meal there. You sigh.

"Take care of yourself, okay? And finish everything I packed for you." You say. Jay simply rolls his eyes and waves a hand at you dismissively.

"Yeah yeah, just don't go missing me too much." He teases, suppressing a smile. You scoffed, punching his shoulder lightly.

"Damn right, I wont." You stuck your tongue at him before waving him goodbye, running back to the orphanage.

As you walked back, you notice a fancy carriage parked in front of the orphanage. Many people were gathered around, gossiping.

"The crown prince has selected candidates to be his wife."

"Now that the queen has passed away, the prince must choose his bride in order to ascend to the throne."

"Oh what a lucky girl she must be."

You slip through the crowd of people, successfully making your way inside.

"Oh here she is now." Mother Superior introduces you to the men in fancy clothing, and you stood their dumbfounded.

"She is a beauty indeed." The men agreed to themselves.

"What exactly is happening?" You whisper to the Mother Superior.

"They came here for you, my child. You have been selected by the prince to become a candidate of being his wife. I've already had your suitcases ready, they will take you to the palace now. And don't worry, I've already informed your parents and they are more than happy and wished you the best."

Everything was happening so fast, it's like everything's been decided for you. And amidst the chaos in your mind, you could only think of one person. Jay.

"What about Jay, I haven't said goodbye—" You pleaded to the old woman to let you see Jay one last time but the footmen has announced your departure to the palace. You choked on your tears as pain burned through your chest, clutching Jay's ring to your chest as you were brought further and further away from the place you called home all your life.

Jay plowed the soil over and over, sweat trickling down his neck and forehead. The sun is high and the heat is a pretty tough companion.

"Jay! Jay!" Jay's friend, Sunghoon called his name, sprinting towards him as if his life depended on it. Sunghoon was one of the orphan kids who got adopted recently, whose home was only a few blocks away from the orphanage. Jay halted his work, placing the tool beside him.

"Haven't seen you in a while, what brings you here?" He raises his eyebrow. Sunghoon holds onto his knees as he catches his breath, before uttering words that shattered Jay's heart into pieces.

"No, it can't be." He refuses to believe it, shaking his head aggressively as tears welled in his eyes. It felt as if he was pierced so deeply in the chest with a dagger, so agonizingly painful.

"It is true, they took Y/N to the palace to become the prince's bride. It's been the talk of the town all morning." Sunghoon is sad for his friend, knowing his feelings for her all along.

"No! Y/N wouldn't do that, she wouldn't leave just like that. No." Jay cried and ran his way back to the orphanage, leaving his belongings behind.

He enters the orphanage, screaming for your name.

"Noona? Noona! I'm here, I'm here now. Noona? Where are you?" He kept on calling for you, his voice breaking as tears blurred his vision. The sisters tried to calm him down but he shoved their hands away from him.

"No! It can't be, she couldn't have left. Please tell me she didn't leave, please." Jay crumbled as he called your name over and over in agony. He begged for everything to be just some sick joke, a prank you planned to get back at him for always being so mean to you.

"Y/N." He choked out before everything spiraled infront of him and went black.

[griffintail]

A Day in the Life (Lost Ones)

Summary: A day with the new parents and how some of their friends reaction to their new bit of joy. 

Pairings: Platonic! Parental! Tommy, Wilbur, Philza, Technoblade, Eret, and Dream x F! Child! Reader

Previous | Next

Warnings : (In Phil’s Specifically) Death, Violence. (Generally) Swearing

A/N: Just so you know (F/L) means First Letter of your first name. Hope you guys enjoy! ♥

Tommy

        Tommy didn’t know what the fuck he was doing.

        Tubbo was even more clueless.

        When Tommy first came onto Tubbo’s doorstep frantically talking about being a father with a crying baby, Tubbo was in a state of great concern for his best friend. Tubbo knew Tommy as a scammer and a very…bold individual, to put it nicely. He did not think his friend had what it took to be any sort of fatherly figure. He was just too young and he was too…outgoing.

        The first day, the pair worked hard to figure out how to make the infant stop crying. They found out she just needed food and a diaper change. Tommy had groaned in relief, sitting on Tubbo’s floor as he held the baby feeding her the milk. From there, Tubbo questioned where he even found a child.

        “She was abandoned in a basket, in a tree. I decided to be a big man about it and take her in.”

        “Are you crazy? Tommy, you didn’t even know her gender until two minutes ago.”

        “Shut up.” Tommy huffed looking at his friend as he stopped giving (Y/N) milk for the moment. “I can figure it out, I’m still new to this Tubbo.”

        “I think maybe we should give her to one of the other guys. We don’t know what to do, we just ran around my house for five minutes trying to make her stop crying for god’s sake.”

        “I’ll figure it out! Even without your help.” Tommy looked back down at the infant, continuing to feed her.

        So, Tubbo went along with it. Tommy was stubborn and to make sure the baby didn’t get hurt, Tubbo said he’d help his friend. To be fair, they didn’t have to do much, it was just a lot of work to do the few things and barely any time to do the same adventures they use to do.

        Tommy was determined to do most of it on his own, only going to Tubbo when he was desperate for help. Which were a few times a week. He got better and better though, learning what (Y/N) needed and when.

        Tommy had managed to make a crib all on his own (with a couple of tries) and he discovered, (Y/N) liked her crib at the end of his bed. She just liked being close to Tommy often and he actually didn’t mind. He was proud to show off his baby.

        When he had shown her off to the others, they had all been in various bits of shock. Of course, when he first introduced her, the first thing he shouted was always;

        “I’m a father now bitch! Meet (Y/N)!”

        As he would, (Y/N) would giggle and babble, his excited energy rubbing off on her. After their various bits of shock (and Bad telling him to watch his language even more now that there was a baby), they would indeed think (Y/N) was cute but give him the same advice as Tubbo. Give her to an adult.

        “None of them! None of them think I can take care of you.” Tommy huffed as (Y/N) finished her milk for the hour. “Isn’t that ridiculous?”

        Tommy did struggle often. He didn’t get as much sleep as he once did, he stayed inside with (Y/N) more. It was a big change, but he was taking it seriously despite all his jokes. Just, no one could see it because they only saw Tommy as a child.

        “Well, they’re all idiots. I know I have this.” Tommy told the infant as he sat back in bed, holding her. “Right Little (F/L)?”

        (Y/N) squirmed slightly, babbling and Tommy smiled.

        “Right! It’s that time.” He grinned as he stood up, going into his chests next to his jukebox.

        As he pulled out one of his discs, Tubbo knocked on the door as he came in.

        “Hey, am I interrupting?” He asked.

        “No, you’re actually in time Big T!” Tommy said as he put the red labeled disc on.

        “For what?” Tubbo questioned confused as Tommy sat down.

        The music started to play and (Y/N) relaxed in Tommy’s arms. Tommy smiled softly, gently rocking her in his arms as he hummed along to the music. Tubbo was staring in amazement from behind Tommy’s seat.

        “Do you…do you do this often?”

        “Of course.” Tommy grinned at his best friend. “She’s got to learn great music. And look, she loves it so much she falls asleep.”

        He was correct as when Tubbo looked, (Y/N) was giving a tiny yawn as she nuzzled into Tommy.

        “Every day after lunch, I play the disc I got when I found her and she takes a nap.” Tommy quieted down; startling Tubbo as Tommy never quieted down. “I want to find more to let her hear more.”

        Tommy put her down in her crib once she was fully asleep, motioning to the door. They both left as the music kept playing.

        “We should go get more discs tomorrow.” Tommy declared, keeping his voice level as he went through his chests. “(Y/N) needs to hear them all and I want to have them all.”

        “You…do that every day?” Tubbo said, still caught up on Tommy’s gentleness.

        Tommy rolled his eyes. “Of course, I do. (Y/N) likes it and I like it so that’s our routine Tubbo. Sometimes it takes a while though and I have to move around the room.”

        He didn’t mention that he danced to the music with her though, laughing with her as she would giggle, slightly embarrassed about the cute routine.

        “So, are we going to go out tomorrow and get some discs or not?” Tommy grinned at his friend.

        Tubbo stood there, thinking over what he had just seen. He thought about how he was actually wrong about Tommy. His best friend really cared about the girl; his own little girl. Tommy had acted drastically different than what he usually did to make sure she was well and happy. The taller boy was actually taking this very seriously and Tubbo couldn’t help but be proud of his friend.

        “Tubbo.” Tommy snapped his fingers, looking at him disapprovingly.

        “Oh, yeah. Let’s get some discs tomorrow. It’s been forever since we’ve gone on an adventure.” Tubbo smiled.

        He thought Tommy could do this whole dad thing right.

        …

        Then he slightly regretted his words in the morning when Tommy showed up with the little girl and his adventuring gear.

        “We are not taking (Y/N). It’s dangerous Tommy!” Tubbo protested.

        “Nothing will happen to her; I wouldn’t let it. Neither would you. And try and say no to this face.” Tommy showed her off, grinning. “Come on now Uncle Tubbo.”

        Tubbo paused, getting slightly giddy. “Uncle Tubbo?”

        “Of course! Now! Let’s go get some discs!” Tommy took lead.

        “…Wait! You distracted me!” Tubbo called exasperated as he followed his best friend.

        (Y/N) giggled as Tommy grinned wider. Tommy was stubborn but in the case of being a father, it was a good thing as it meant his baby would grow up healthy and happy and he could care less about what others would say.

          Wilbur

        L’Manberg didn’t have many secrets but it had one well-guarded one. That would be the simple fact that (Y/N) existed.

        After the first night with the new baby, Wilbur had gathered all the men inside the van.

        “Time to greet the people little one.” He smiled as he heard the commotion of Tommy trying to command the others.

        Coming out, he put on a serious face as everyone went quiet. Of course, Eret and Fundy already knew. The teenager had his arms crossed, looking away from his father and new sister, as Eret gave a small smile. The other two of L’Manberg…

        “Did you fuck another fish?!” Tommy shouted in exasperation to his brother.

        Fundy gave Tommy an offended glare as (Y/N) squirmed at the sudden loud noise.

        “Tommy, quiet down now,” Wilbur told him as he gently rocked the little girl, Tubbo awing at how adorable she was. “Eret found her left outside the walls last night. I’m taking her in as she was obviously abandoned. So, meet the first woman of L’Manberg, (Y/N).”

        “(Y/N) is a wonderful name.” Eret smiled a bit wider.

        “She’s so cute and small,” Tubbo said, taking a step closer to get a better look at her.

        Tommy huffed, already bored as Fundy simply stayed quiet.

        “That being said, we are in the middle of a war.”

        The weight of everything came back to rest on their shoulders as everyone with a smile stopped holding one. It was a dangerous time for all of them, no one able to leave the walls without a friend. Walls that were supposed to mean their freedom.

        “That’s why no one must know (Y/N) exists. She must be a secret from all of the Dream SMP. They’ve shown how ruthless they can be and I don’t want to think about what they’d do if they knew about her. So, beyond these walls, (Y/N) doesn’t exist.”

        Everyone gave a nod at the same time as (Y/N) had started to play with the ruffles on Wilbur’s uniform. He smiled gently as her as he took her hand, letting her play with his finger instead before looking dead serious at his men again.

        “I can’t have just a nod. I need you to be verbal. This will not be taken lightly.”

        Tommy spoke first as he gave a salute. “You have my word, Wilbur!”

        Wilbur cracked a small smile; he could always rely on his little brother. “Good, now quiet down a bit.”

        From there, it was a chorus of promises and she was their biggest secret that united them. Not even a traitor would dare breath word of her place in their walls.

        The men could see a difference in their leader every day since then.

        He left the van more often, actually going to his own home in the walls. Daily, everyone would see him carrying (Y/N) with him in her own little uniform he made on a walk within the walls. He sang more often like he used to before the declaration of war was made in order to soothe the little girl or simply to make her smile. There was a reason for him to relax and be soft and everyone was rather glad after all the weight he had been forced to hold.

        Wilbur also saw the change in his men as the days went on.

        Tubbo found joy with such an adorable new addition. He would sometimes join Wilbur on his daily walks within the walls to have a chance to hold the small girl. The young boy loved to also give her little gifts, usually toys he thought she’d like. He was very excited when Wilbur told him that she slept with a bee plushie he had gotten her.

        Tommy was curious about her. Such a small thing, he was certain he was way bigger than her when he was that young. Wilbur let him hold her on the occasion if Tommy asked, but wouldn’t wonder if Tommy was holding her. He had faith in his little brother, but his eccentric energy just put Wilbur a little on edge. Often, Tommy would brag to the little girl that he’d be the coolest uncle and teach her many swear words when she got older, much to Wilbur’s dismay.

        Eret did like the little girl, he really did as she was such a precious little thing, but he tried not to put too much attachment to her. He had begun…he had begun a different path and he didn’t want to also betray the little girl. And, the more separation he felt from her, the easier it was to lie about her existence. Though, there was the occasion he would do the same as Tubbo and gave her a toy or two, unable to help it as it put a smile on his face.

        Fundy was different. He had been an only child for most of his life and now he had a little sister? It was only natural that he was jealous and sulked at all the attention she got from their father. Their father did try to include Fundy though; inviting every day on their walks, offering to let her feed instead, asking to play his piano while Wilbur sang. Unfortunately, Fundy wanted nothing to do with his little sister, often saying he hated her, which repeatedly broke Wilbur’s heart but he had faith; he’d change his son’s mind.

        “I’m trying to have a peace talk with Dream today,” Wilbur told Fundy as he shrugged on his jacket while Fundy was sitting in the front seat of the van.

        “Ok, and?” Fundy looked up at him.

        “I’m taking Tubbo and Eret, Tommy’s staying guard and you.” Wilbur handed him a piece of paper. “And you are taking care of your sister.”

        “What?! What the hell?” Fundy exclaimed, jumping up.

        Wilbur put the paper in Fundy’s hand. “I have to go and try and make peace. I have faith in you son. (Y/N) would love to spend time with you anyways. Take good care of her alright? I don’t trust Tommy to watch her for so long but if you really need help, get him.”

        “What…Why do I have to watch the brat?”

        Wilbur gave him a stern look. “Fundy, she is your little sister. She is a part of our family. And family takes care of each other. Now, I want you to be nice to her and take care of her. Understood?”

        Fundy clenched his jaw, shoving his hands in pockets. “Yeah, yeah.”

        “Good.” Wilbur smiled at him now. “She’s still sleeping in my room. That paper is what she needs and when. You can do anything with her in-between. I’ll see you in a few hours my son.”

         Wilbur left; his heart heavy as this was the first time he’d leave (Y/N) alone but hope helping it float as he hoped Fundy could love his sister as Wilbur loved her.

        Fundy went into his father’s bedroom and saw the little girl already waking up slightly. He gave a heavy sigh as he picked her up carefully, holding her close.

        “I hate you.” He muttered as she looked up at him.

        The little girl giggled and he lowered his head. She gave pet to his face to feel the soft fur.

        “I hate you’re too fucking adorable to hate.” He huffed. “Just don’t tell dad. Now, come on dipshit, time to eat.”

        Fundy was jealous, yes. But he could never actually hate his adorable little sister. He’d keep her safe and make her happy too.

        Wilbur got back later than he expected as Dream and his goons had chased their peaceful band like sport but they managed out relatively unscathed. The moon was already up and Wilbur was worried as he hadn’t written instructions for this long in the night for Fundy. After Tommy reported no incidents along the walls, Wilbur rushed home but froze, his heart-melting. In the living room, there was a long finished playing record on the jukebox and on the couch, Fundy laid with his arm over (Y/N) securely as she laid on his chest, both of them asleep.

        “Thank you, my little champion,” Wilbur muttered with a smile, gently picking (Y/N) up before putting a blanket over Fundy. “I’m proud of you.”

        Wilbur held (Y/N) close to him as he walked to his bedroom.

        “And you, my little star, a day won’t go by where you won’t be loved. You’re our little star of hope in L’Manberg. You remind everyone what we fight for and you bring everyone smiles. We will bring peace, just so you can see how bright you shine my little star.” He kissed her forehead before putting her in her crib. “Sleep well love.”

          Philza

        Walking took longer than flying but it was definitely safer for his new little angel. He had tried to find her parents, asking around with the survivors but they weren’t there. So, Phil took her with him to meet his sons. When he started this journey, of the list of things he’d thought would happen, he didn’t think he’d gain a new child. Yet, there she slept peacefully in the sash Phil had made to carry her and keep her warm rather than carrying her in his arms the entire walk.

        She most certainly quieter than most of his other children had been when they were this small, which Phil did not mind one bit. When she was awake, he would talk to her to fill her world though. He’d tell her about her new brothers and how he was sure they’d all love her in their own way.

        “Techno will take a little convincing, he has a thing about orphans.” Phil scrunched up his nose. “But he’ll learn to you like you (Y/N).”

        He hadn’t been able to find a name either for the new baby so he gave her one on his own.

        Finally, after days of travel, Phil reached a crest of a hill and was able to see a beautiful town laid before him. From the looks of some decorations, they had some sort of festival recently. The worrying part was the people in armor down below, but, a large portion of them were celebrating. Phil scanned them over then he grew a large smile. Wilbur was patting Tommy’s shoulder as the younger boy was screaming with one of those celebrating, Techno to the side smirking.

        His sons had managed to figure it all out.

        “Looks like we were a little late angel. Your brothers can be smart when they choose to be.” He chuckled. “We’ll wait here and let them have their moment of victory.”

        He sat on the edge of the hill, giving (Y/N) her afternoon milk as he watched the crowd below and listened to the start of celebratory speeches. As he quickly burped the infant, he frowned as Wilbur left his seat in the crowd, walking away as Tubbo was getting on stage.

        “Let’s go see what he’s up to.” He muttered to the little girl, putting her in his sash securely before carefully flying over.

        He landed as Wilbur walked into a room in a hill behind the stage. His eyes went wide as he remembered one of Tommy’s letters.

        Will keeps saying if he can’t have L’Manberg, no one can. He made a room rigged to TNT under our nation. I’m hoping to talk him down but I don’t know if I can.

        “Shit.” Phil sprinted over, walking into the room after his son.

        Inside were mad scribblings as Wilbur stood with his hand on the wall next to a button.

        “What are you doing?” Phil asked him.

        Wilbur jumped, whirling around to see his father standing there, wearing a sash, unable to see the child it was holding.

        “Phil…?”

        “What are you doing?” Phil repeated.

        Wilbur ran his hands through his hair as he looked back at the button then his father.

        “How’d you…do you know what this is?” He motioned to the room around him.

        “I do.” Phil nodded, stepping carefully forward.

        “Have heard the songs on the walls?” Wilbur asked in turn as he ran his hand over a few of the words. “I was just saying to myself, there was a special place where men can go, but there’s not anymore! It’s not…” Wilbur sighed as he looked back at the button.

        “It is there,” Phil told him as he put a hand on the side of the child to calm her down as she squirmed. “You just, you’ve just won it back.”

        “Phil! I’m always so close to pressing this button, Phil! I’ve been—I’ve been here like seven or eight times I’ve been here.” Wilbur threw up his arms as Phil stood his ground when he saw the crazed look in his son’s eyes.

        The little girl tried to give an uncomfortable babble at the loud shouting but Wilbur talked over her, having yet to notice the extra body in the room. In comfort, Phil put a hand over one of her ears as he pressed her close to him.

        “Phil I-I’ve been here so many times.” Outside of the room, they all could hear the sound of fireworks going off. “They’re fighting. They’re fighting.”

        “And you want to just blow it all up?” Phil questioned.

        “I do I think I—”

        “You fought so hard to get this land back.” Phil tried to discourage one of his older sons. “So hard.”

        “I don’t even, I don’t even know if works anymore Phil,” Wilbur said, his hand hovering over the button, making Phil take a step forward. “I don’t even know if the button works I could, I could press it and might not…”

        Wilbur looked back, grinning like a mad man and Phil squeezed the young girl lightly.

        “Do you really want to take that risk? Wilbur…” He went to continue to say, hoping to bring up his new little sister to discourage the man but Wilbur looked away, staring at the button.

        “There was a saying Phil, by a traitor. It was never meant to be.” Wilbur pressed the button, grinning at Phil as the hiss went off.

        “No!” Phil shouted, quickly pulling his son close as he covered the three of them his wings as the blast went off.

        He winced as the blast and the heat singed and damaged his feathers but he didn’t move as he held his two children close. He wouldn’t let them get harmed.

        The sound of white noise rang in their ears as the explosions slowly stopped. Phil raised his wings slightly to look in horror at the destruction before them. Outside their half-destroyed room, Phil slowly started to hear the voices crying with terror at what they just witnessed as Wilbur stood before the hole holding his arms out as he grinned.

        “My L’Manberg Phil! My unfinished symphony forever unfinished! If I can’t have this no one can Phil!”

        “Oh my god.” Phil breathed, the ringing dying down enough for him to be startled at the cries closest to him.

        (Y/N) screamed out cries in the aftermath of the loud explosions and shouting, her own ears ringing. Phil held her close, trying to calm her down despite his horror and disappointment. Wilbur finally heard the cries himself and looked over to finally notice the little girl. For a moment, he could see through his madness.

        “Who’s…who’s this?” Wilbur muttered.

        “She’s (Y/N),” Phil told him as he put his forehead on the little girl’s. “I came to help you and found her. I brought her to show her what her new brothers made. What great work you’ve done.”

        “What great…” Wilbur looked over at what he had done.

        Behind him, he could hear the cries of his new tiny sister he hadn’t been aware he had. Phil had brought her to show her a place of peace and beauty, but instead, Wilbur showed her terror and destruction. Across the explosion, he could see Tommy’s horror-struck face at the sight of their once great nation gone. This was his fault…

        He pulled his sword, holding the handle to Will. “Kill me, Phil.”

        “What?!” Phil looked at his son shocked, still clutching onto the crying girl.

        “Stab me with the sword. Murder me now. Kill me!” Will demanded as he motioned to the crowd. “Look, they all want you to!”

        Phil was stood in shock as he held a crying child in one arm while looking over at the crowd of terrified and horror-filled faces.

        “Kill me, Phil!” Wilbur shouted.

        “I—You’re my son!” Phil yelled. “No matter what you do—I can’t—”

        “Phil!” Wilbur shouted, shoving the sword handle into his hand. “This isn’t—! Look! Look! How much work went into this and it’s gone! Do it.”

        Phil looked from his son to the crowd, to the child in his arms. He couldn’t…why’d…(Y/N) should get a chance to meet her own brother! L’Manberg had ruined his son. He had gone mad…

        “I’m sorry.” He whispered under his breath before plunging the sword.

        Tears filled Phil’s eyes as he let go of the sword and held his son. (Y/N)’s wails only got louder and Phil cried with her.

        “I’m sorry, I’m sorry both of you.” He muttered

        He wished everything could be different…

        …

        Phil sat by the fire with the L’Manberg citizens, one of his hands shaking slightly as the other gently rocked the no longer crying child.

        Tommy had been speechless since the betrayal he received from both of his brothers, but looking up at his father across from him, he stood and spoke.

        “Who’s she?” He asked.

        Phil looked at him as the others looked over as well.

        “This is your new little sister (Y/N). I found her when the village I was staying at was raided and I saved her. Would you like to hold her?”

        Tommy came over and sat in front of his father. Phil helped him before letting his now second youngest hold her on his own. Tommy’s face had held no emotion after everything today but now it softened as the little girl met his eyes. He hugged her lightly as Phil held onto his shaking hand with his other to stop it.

        “I wish you could have seen what L’Manberg looked like (Y/N),” Tommy mumbled to her. “Wilbur and Techno betrayed me but I promise. I won’t betray you. I never will do that to you.”

        Phil looked at his son sadly as Tommy put his forehead on hers softly. At least Phil knew that she’d be well-loved by the brother she got to meet properly.

        From there, the next few days were made for rebuilding. Phil helped the group as best he could but he had to rest to let his wings heal and he also had to take care of his little angel. Tommy made sure the others built Phil one of the first houses so his sister could be in a proper bed.

        It warmed Phil’s heart that Tommy cared so much about his new little sister. Tommy would visit the pair occasionally just to see her, Phil giving him a little bit of trust to take care of her. Of course, Tommy used that trust to be his usual self and brag about how cute his little sister was to anyone that would listen to the boy’s antics. Though many couldn’t deny the boy, she was a very cute little girl and often brought smiles to other’s faces.

        Phil was glad that his quiet little girl could bring joy to people that had been through so much. He just wished that she had had a chance to bring smiles to those that didn’t walk beside them any more…

          Technoblade

        “Phil,” Techno called on his walkie, trying to quiet down the girl crying in his arms.

        “Yes?” Phil answered.

        “She won’t stop crying,” Techno told him, Phil, able to hear the girl, chuckling quietly to himself. “Don’t laugh at this!”

        “Sorry, sorry. Alright, you feed and changed her right?” The older man listed.

        “Yes.” He had done it a few minutes ago, on his usual schedule to do so.

        “Did you burp her after she ate?”

        Techno paused and huffed before burping the child, the cries dying down after she released the gas that had built up.

        “I forgot, she stopped.”

        “Good. Just relax now, alright Techno?”

        “Yeah.” Techno sighed as he put his walkie away, looking down at the little girl. “What now brat?”

        It was often that Techno called his father to ask what to do. To put it simply, he was worried he’d fuck this all up. He had never exactly taken care of a child before; it had been all anarchy and blood before he decided on retirement. Hell, he barely ever took care of Tommy when he was a child, that was usually Wilbur’s thing.

        He didn’t know the first thing he was doing nor did the voices. They always threw out different ideas contradicting each other. So, Techno always did his best and when it didn’t seem like enough, he went immediately to Phil.

        When he did have things under control though, it was just any other day. Brew some potions out of habit, take care of the animals before collecting food for himself and milk for (Y/N), and trade with some of the villagers close by. The only difference was that he brought (Y/N) with him while he did anything.

        To his relief, she was a quiet child and didn’t mind his quiet nature. She didn’t need pointless noise to be happy so he could just simply work. Techno did get Phil to make her a warmer outfit and Phil took it seriously but also made it a joke. He made her a pink outfit from wool and leather and with a bit extra, put fake pig ears on the hood of the outfit, which Techno would never admit looked adorable on her out loud.

        He most certainly didn’t put it on her even if they weren’t going out that day, why would anyone think that?

        Phil most certainly did spoil her though when he would come over. He’d always have something new for the little girl, clothes, and toys. His father also often tried to discourage Techno from using some of his nicknames for his child when the older man was over, such as brat.

        (Y/N) yawned quietly and Techno chuckled, a small smile cracking on his face.

        “Tired early huh? Yeah, ok, I can use a nap.” He nodded as he went up to his bedroom.

        He sat on his bed, leaning back on the headboard as he racked his brain for their daily ritual.

        “I got a good one today.” He laughed quietly. “Let me tell you about the story of Theseus.”

        Every nap and bedtime, there was always a story for Techno to tell. Sometimes he’d tell her about his adventures around the world, about the places he conquered. There were other days when he’d tell her about myths he had memorized. It was when he’d talk the most to the little girl and he rather enjoyed these moments in his day.

        It was their special little thing and he wouldn’t ever want to miss them.

        Close to the end of the story, he stopped as he noticed (Y/N) was asleep. He nodded as he laid back, resting her carefully on his chest.

        A crib was one thing Techno had not invested his time in. He didn’t move in his sleep and it was rare for the little girl to move in hers. So, he slept with her on his chest, giving him and the voices a better piece of mind. No one knew where he was, but he was still paranoid. This was the safest place for her.

        “Sleep well little goddess,” Techno muttered, a hand on her back.

        Despite the trials, he didn’t mind being a father.

          Eret

        Eret put a small flower crown on the infant’s head that matched the one he was wearing, smiling as she giggled, before picking her up, continuing on their daily walk through the SMP.

        It was a lot of trial and error with the pair but Eret was a quick learner and adapted to the needs of his new child. He didn’t do as much as he once did with his friends, fewer prank wars with Fundy, and less involvement with Tommy’s antics, but he didn’t mind. He spent those hours with his little princess now; taking walks with her, playing with her along the way and in the castle, and making clothes that made her the adorable princess that she.

        Of course, he did still sometimes get involved.

        “Eret!” Tommy yelled on the walkie.

        Eret chuckled as he took it from his pocket. “It seems Tommy is having troubles again princess.” She gave a babble and Eret nodded. “You’re very right. Let’s see what he needs. Yes, Tommy?”

        “I need your help at my base ASAP!” Tommy demanded.

        “It’s nothing dangerous right?” He asked.

        “Of course not, now if you could hurry.”

        He shook his head chuckling. “Alright, I’m on my way.”

        Putting the walkie away, he hugged his little girl lightly as he changed direction.

        “Sorry princess, we need to go check on Tommy. I know you won’t mind though.”

        There were other times that had happened similarly and Eret would take (Y/N) with him to meet the younger boy. The younger boy’s energy would rub off on the infant and she would get excited as well, babbling and giggling constantly. As long as nothing dangerous was going on, Eret was glad to bring (Y/N) over as it always brought a smile to his face at how adorable she’d get.

        Walking onto Tommy's property, he saw the young boy waiting impatiently outside his dirt home.

        “There you are! You brought the brat?” He huffed.

        “Come now, Tommy. (Y/N) loves being around you, at least be kind to her.” Eret smiled, knowing the boy meant no ill will.

        “Right, now!” Tommy said dramatically as he opened the door to his base. “I need to make a plan!”

        Following him in, he saw Tubbo was also there looking over a paper with Tommy’s handwriting on it. Tubbo looked up as they came in and grinned seeing the little girl in Eret’s arms.

        “You brought (Y/N)!” Tubbo exclaimed excitedly as he came over. “Can I hold her?”

        Eret laughed as he nodded, helping the other boy hold her. Tubbo enjoyed seeing the little girl, loving to play with her and spend time with her. There were times when Eret would let Tubbo babysit his princess so he could do a few more dangerous tasks.

        “You got a little crown, you’re really a princess now.” Tubbo grinned as the girl babbled at him.

        “We’re not here for (Y/N), we’re here to plan!” Tommy protested now.

        Tommy didn’t mind the small child, he just got annoyed when the focus would come off him.

        Focus went back on Tommy but Eret left after a little while to give (Y/N) her lunch for the day. She had gotten energetic after seeing the two boys, babbling and giggling as Eret played with her on the walk back. As they got back to his castle, he saw a wrapped package and note at the main door. Picking it up, he saw it was Fundy’s handwriting.

        You stand no chance, it’s for (Y/N)

        He raised an eyebrow, opening the package then laughed.

        “It seems Fundy wishes to make you love him more than me.” Eret showed her the fox plushy, making her eyes sparkle as he gave it to her. “But I know that you’ll always love me, princess.” He booped her nose, (Y/N) looking at his sunglasses, babbling. “That’s right. I think this prank was an automatic failure. I love you princess.”

          Dream

        “Come on (Y/N), you just got to hold out your hands to me,” Sapnap told the infant in the crib at the community house.

        “No, she’s going to me,” George argued.

        The little girl looked between the two as they went between bickering and encouraging her to hold her hands out to them. Then she looked directly between them and held her arms out giggling.

        “What?” George looked behind them and yelped seeing Dream.

        “What are you idiots doing?” Dream laughed as he picked up his daughter.

        “We were trying to get (Y/N) to choose her favorite uncle, but then you ruined it.” Sapnap huffed, crossing his arms.

        “Well, I am her favorite person.” Dream bragged as he pulled his mask up while looking at the little girl. “Peek-a-boo.”

        The girl gave a little squeal of laughter and Dream chuckled rubbing his nose against hers.

        “She loves both of you idiots.” Dream told them, put his mask back on. “You’re her uncles.”

        “Yeah, but I got to prove Uncle Sapnap is the best.” Sapnap pointed to himself.

        “No! I’m better than you of course.”

        The two bickered and Dream shook his head at his friends before leaving the community house.

        “Your uncles are stupid.” Dream whispered to the little girl, tickling her stomach making her giggle. “Why don’t we go look at what the new people have built today, sound good sweetheart?”

        After Dream had taken in the little girl, his life had most certainly brightened more as their world around them grew. She was a constant ball of happiness that always made Dream and his friends smile. Of course, they had to power through learning how to take care of a baby, a lot of screaming coming from all parties the first night they had the child. But they were starting to get the hang of it.

        One thing Dream loved to do that always seemed to please the little girl was taking her around to see the new buildings that were slowly starting to appear as more people joined their land of the SMP. She seemed to like taking in the new sights so Dream took her whenever someone new came or a new build appeared.

        “I don’t know what I’m going to do with your uncles when you get older. They’re going to be falling over each other to get your attention.” Dream told her as he walked. “I think they think I’ll like whoever wins. You’re my special little girl after all. But what they don’t know, is I don’t care as long as you’re happy.”

        It was very true that Dream’s two best friends were always falling each other to get the attention of the infant already. They got her many things to win her over, having similar competitions when Dream wasn’t looking. Right now, the score was even.

        To try and balance the two-out, Dream would alternate on who he took out for dangerous adventures and who would stay with his little girl. He couldn’t send the both of them on their own, unfortunately, least one of them “trips” into a lava pool.

        Dream stopped on the edge of the new property, (Y/N) looking at the colorful flowers decorating it.

        He was a bit hesitant to show her off to others as he wasn’t the most trusting but if they were going to be part of his land, he would introduce her out principle. He did say she was going to be the princess of his land.

        “No new faces today doesn’t seem Tommy is around.” Dream said to her. “We’ll see him later I’m sure. How about we go visit Punz for a bit?”

        He walked away from the property. There were so many people on his land now, he was sure it would become a bright place where his little princess could always be happy.

Lost Ones Taglist: @kakamihasatmblr​ @ialexabsuniverse​ @teaguecosmos​ @chaosofsmarty​

A/N: If you want to be in this taglist I have a post on my page you can reply on or just send me an ask :)

[edenmemes]

misc poetry sentence starters

❝  one gets so used to one’s own horrors, one forgets how they must seem to other people.  ❞ ❝  you remind me what love lives in this skin.  ❞ ❝  you are the most phantom-like of all; you are a mere dream.  ❞ ❝  i’m not telling you a story so much as a shipwreck—the places floating, finally legible.  ❞ ❝  the world was made so we can find each other in it.  ❞ ❝  the night isn’t dark; the world is dark. stay with me a little longer.  ❞ ❝  i want you desperately. i want your strength and your softness, your hands, all of you.  ❞ ❝  is that too much to expect? that i would name the stars for you?  ❞ ❝  against your cheek my hand is warm and full of tenderness.  ❞ ❝  the world grows green again when you smile.  ❞ ❝  your share of pains would fill a sea.  ❞ ❝  i’m so stuck on the ‘was’ of people.  ❞ ❝  what i love in you is your power of loving, a bit wild, a bit primitive, but absolute.  ❞ ❝  i like figuring you out. you are so human and puzzling.  ❞ ❝  the unwillingness to try is worse than any failure.  ❞ ❝  you wanted happiness. i can’t blame you for that.  ❞ ❝  i did violence to my own heart.  ❞ ❝  i don’t know how to stay tender with this much blood in my mouth.  ❞ ❝  like a magpie, i am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales and dead languages.  ❞ ❝  and here you come with a shield for a heart and a sword for a tongue.  ❞ ❝  you kiss the back of my legs and i want to cry.    only the sun has come this close, only the sun.  ❞ ❝  sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof you’ve been ruined.  ❞ ❝  when will it cease, this monstrous rage of yours?  ❞ ❝  i will plant my hands in the garden. i will grow, i know, i know.  ❞ ❝  i had it all and i want it back again.  ❞ ❝  i don’t care about anyone, and the feeling is quite obviously mutual.  ❞ ❝  we are two reflections that cross swords with each other.  ❞ ❝  as for me, i am a watercolour. i wash off.  ❞ ❝  do you dare send me away as though you were were waiting for something better?  ❞ ❝  my dear, you are in danger of being burned by your own flame.  ❞ ❝  i am three oceans away from my soul.  ❞ ❝  you, occasionally, glimmer with a light i’ve never seen before. it frightens me.  ❞ ❝  i went to sleep last night so i could see you.  ❞ ❝  even the eyes of gods must adjust to light. even gods have gods.  ❞ ❝  how much can you change and get away with it, before you turn into someone else, before it’s some kind of murder?  ❞ ❝  it does me no good to be good to me now.  ❞ ❝  i may look alright, but if you were to look more closely you wouldn’t find a single healthy bit in me.  ❞ ❝  i must clothe myself in other worlds.  ❞ ❝  suffering is the privilege of those who feel.  ❞ ❝  sorry about the blood in your mouth. i wish it was mine.  ❞ ❝  the vigor, the fire, that enables you to love and create. when you lose that, you’ve lost everything.  ❞ ❝  i can be bold, because i have you with me always.  ❞ ❝  you are shaking fists and trembling teeth. i know: you did not mean to be cruel. that does not mean you were kind.  ❞ ❝  not that i want to be a god or a hero, just to change into a tree,  grow for ages, not hurt anyone.  ❞ ❝  i laughed today. for a second i was unhaunted.  ❞ ❝  you are sunlight through a window, which i stand in, warmed.  ❞ ❝  there’s something electric in your blood.  ❞ ❝  you say you are broken,   but broken mirrors like you create the most beautiful patterns of light.  ❞ ❝  time doesn’t obey our commands.  ❞ ❝  i love you quite passionately, and with a touch of tragedy.  ❞ ❝  to feel anything deranges you. to be seen feeling anything strips you naked.  ❞ ❝  i love you --- like a storm bursts overhead --- i must confess it; all the more fiercely because you burn and bite.  ❞ ❝  and i have seen rivers, not unlike you, that failed to find their way back.  ❞ ❝  i am less a god now that you’ve touched me.  ❞ ❝  your words are gentle; but my blood runs cold to think what plots you may be nursing deep within your heart.  ❞ ❝  you said i killed you --- haunt me then.  ❞ ❝  your soul is frail and solemn, loyal and spring-like.  ❞ ❝  you look like you’ve eaten the sun, like you drank so much sunlight you’re drowning in it.  ❞ ❝  strangeness is a necessary ingredient in beauty.  ❞ ❝  you will hear thunder and remember me.  ❞ ❝  ever think it’s possible for us to be happy?  ❞ ❝  and i would wonder across all the deserts of this world, even after death, to search for you.  ❞ ❝  since we’re bound to be something, why not together?  ❞ ❝  i am ashes were once i was fire.  ❞ ❝  this mouth will destroy you the moment you mistake it for something soft, for something that is yours.  ❞ ❝  it’s no easy thing to bear, the weight of sweetness.  ❞ ❝  kill the light! i’d rather wallow in the dark.  ❞ ❝  i have thought of you often since the darkness.  ❞ ❝  with your presence the sun becomes irrelevant.  ❞ ❝  there is no god left in this skin. there’s just the ash. just the ash.  ❞ ❝  open your eyes, look more sharply, see me as i am.  ❞ ❝  what the hell is tragedy? i am.  ❞ ❝  i’ve got a lot of feeling for you. you’re kind.  ❞ ❝  how beautiful it is, how beautiful, that glow before the stars break.  ❞ ❝  so much to do today: kill memory, kill pain, turn heart into a stone, and yet prepare to live again.  ❞ ❝  i am myself. that is not enough.  ❞ ❝  i may be mad, god-seized, but i will stand outside my madness.  ❞ ❝  my power, which to me is still a curse ---  ❞ ❝  ocean sea with its caressing swell; it has so often cooled my heart.  ❞ ❝  do you bathe in perfume, and dry yourself in light?  ❞ ❝  i like you; your eyes are full of language.  ❞ ❝  let me tell you what i do know.    i am more than one thing and not all of those things are good.  ❞ ❝  you are the cause and the cure --- both.  ❞ ❝  i have kisses for the back of your neck.  ❞ ❝  your beautiful glance is unbearably cruel.  ❞ ❝  we might meet again, someday between dreams at dawn.  ❞ ❝  suffering is a terrible fire; it either purifies or destroys.  ❞ ❝  lately it hurts more to imagine you are a stranger rather than a destroyer.  ❞ ❝  and i say to myself: a moon will rise from my darkness.  ❞ ❝  since you walked out on me, i’m getting lovelier by the hour. i glow like a corpse in the dark.  ❞ ❝  i will not whine. i will obey and be forever still.  ❞ ❝  you move like the moon.  ❞ ❝  my eyes ache with the weight of unshed tears.  ❞ ❝  in your eyes, the fires of twilight.  ❞ ❝  do not haunt my soul; i have done well forgetting you.  ❞ ❝  i am no one. i cannot love. it’s in my blood.  ❞ ❝  you’re wearing your armor to protect your heart. who can blame you? it only makes sense in a world like this one.  ❞ ❝  you are not real. you are a dream of a dream.  ❞ ❝  there are so many things i’m not allowed to tell you.  ❞ ❝  i am indeed a shameless, evil-minded and abominable creature.  ❞ ❝  come this evening --- i am eager for stars.  ❞ ❝  i am on fire with that soft sound you make, in uttering my name.  ❞ ❝  i want you mostly in the morning when my soul is weak from dreaming.  ❞ ❝  to me you are the desert and the sea; everything secretive.  ❞ ❝  i thought i was wounded to the core but i was only bruised.  ❞ ❝  it is a dead heart. it is inside of me. it is a stranger.  ❞ ❝  i live --- but i’m mutilated.  ❞ ❝  if there is a light then i am going to swallow it.    if there is a god then i’m going to make him cry.  ❞ ❝  i am condemned to be a saint or a monster: unable to be the one, unwilling to be the other.  ❞ ❝  you will open your wounds and make them a garden.  ❞ ❝  i come home --- and i feel like a ghost returning its haunt.  ❞ ❝  i planted roses, but without you they were thorns.  ❞ ❝  everything inside me is in revolt.  ❞ ❝  how this darkness soaks me through and through.  ❞ ❝  give me my robe, put on my crown; i have immortal longings in me.  ❞ ❝  say something dangerous like i love you.  ❞ ❝  listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?  ❞ ❝  in times of crisis, we must decide again and again whom we love.  ❞ ❝  breathe the scent of little, earthly things. let the twilight touch you.  ❞ ❝  my heart is just like the ocean, has storm and calm and tides.  ❞ ❝  you became for me a sacred being, not to be touched save in adoring thoughts.  ❞ ❝  gods are stubborn. so am i.  ❞ ❝  is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?  ❞ ❝  there’s something soft in me. i killed it and it’s rotting.  ❞ ❝  beware. beware. there is a tenderness.  ❞ ❝  half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. real gods require blood.  ❞ ❝  i’m alive. like a wound, a flower in the flesh, the path of aching blood is open within me.  ❞ ❝  you dangle on the leash of your own longing; your need grows teeth.  ❞ ❝  i have it in me...to scare myself with my own desert places.  ❞ ❝  my mouth still houses century-old magic.     in my ears i hear a ringing and singing and no god.  ❞ ❝  keep talking. i’ll keep walking toward the sound of your voice.  ❞ ❝  i’m full of poetry now. rot and poetry. rotten poetry.  ❞ ❝  this skin is sick with loneliness.  ❞ ❝  memories are sharp. they bite. i have spent most of my life trying to grow a thicker skin just to make sure i would not bleed out whenever i felt those teeth scrape up against me.  ❞ ❝  i wonder if i will ever find a language to speak of the things that haunt me the most.  ❞ ❝  after fury, what do you do with the remains?  ❞ ❝  come on, dance with me. the earth is spinning. we can’t just stand on it.  ❞ ❝  let’s admit, without apology, what we do together.  ❞ ❝  try to find the right place for yourself. if you can’t find it, at least dream of it.  ❞ ❝  it takes grace to remain kind in cruel situations.  ❞ ❝  i am too full of life to be half-loved.  ❞ ❝  today you want nothing because wanting comes too close to feeling.  ❞ ❝  there’s nothing more terrible, more alluring, more mysterious than love.  ❞ ❝  heavenly wine and roses seem to whisper to me when you smile.  ❞ ❝  my soul is devoutly and wholly under your spell.  ❞ ❝  will you see the human in my being?  ❞ ❝  if i had a flower for every time i thought of you…i could walk through my garden forever.  ❞ ❝  part broken part whole, you begin again.  ❞ ❝  i don’t know if love’s a feeling. sometimes i think it’s a matter of seeing. seeing you.  ❞ ❝  i wonder which will get you killed faster, your loyalty or your stubbornness?  ❞ ❝  whether you come as a lover or an exeutioner, i am ready to receive you.  ❞ ❝  i think i understand your longing. it looks so much like mine.  ❞ ❝  i’ve had so many knives stuck into me. when they hand me a flower, i can’t quite make out what it is.  ❞ ❝  i like the sea: we understand one another. it is always yearning, sighing for something it cannot have; so am i.  ❞ ❝  do i not live? badly, i know, but i live.  ❞ ❝  something of you stuck with me. a splinter.  ❞ ❝  i clung to your hands so that something human might exist in the chaos.  ❞ ❝  sometimes i shut my eyes, and shut my heart towards you, and try hard to forget you because you grieve me so, but you’ll never go away. oh you never will.  ❞ ❝  my golden love, if only you knew, what precious honey you are for me.  ❞ ❝  i had an old wound once, but it is healing.  ❞ ❝  always this in-betweenness, this almost, this it might be that...  ❞ ❝  when i close my eyes, i see you. when i open my eyes i want to see you.  ❞ ❝  dark as it is --- you see, that little flickering, is the light of my soul.  ❞ ❝  am i a monster or is this what it means to be a person?  ❞ ❝  i am talking about evil. it blooms. it eats. it grins.  ❞ ❝  sapphires are those eyes of yours, ravishingly sweet.  ❞

[since0202]

Taking Time—Forty Three

Don't be late

When you’re small and everything is new, it’s easy to feel fear about almost anything: the dark, the faucet dripping in the other room, howling winds, a scurry of feet, or the breaking of a twig. And then when you get older, your fear transforms into more socially acceptable things like bad grades, disappointing people, cheating, and lying. But then, if you’re very lucky, you find a protector and those acceptable fears become surmountable. And then new, worse fears are introduced like your best friend getting pregnant, your friends drifting apart, losing sight of what you were after in the first place, your partner keeping secrets, and the overwhelming pressure to be something you never considered in the first place. Those fears become seemingly insurmountable and then a new fear appears that is guaranteed to take your feet out from under you and you’ll be swept out into a sea of uncertainty. Great.

Maya pulled the rest of the groceries out of the back of her Jeep and nudged the trunk door shut with her hip. It was a particularly cold January afternoon and only a few days before Maya was due back at Columbia. She balanced the bags of groceries in her arms and stumbled over the threshold of her home with relief. Dropping her keys in the bowl by the door with some effort, she let out a great sigh and kicked off her shoes before beginning to shuffle back toward the kitchen. Maya was halted however by the crescendo of voices upstairs.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Maya could hear Becks’ voice filter down the stairs—she couldn’t help but lean against the banister, craning her neck to hear more as she clutched the grocery bags against her chest.

“We’re not finished,” Jacob retorted quickly.

“Jacob, please–”

“We’re. Not. Finished.” He said firmly, his voice ever so slightly raised.

“Stop, Jake. You’re not going to change my mind.” There was that stubbornness that Maya loved in Becks. It rarely ever flared up, Becks usually being the middle ground between Maya and Keye whenever they found themselves at odds, but when it did, it was withering.

“It’s not safe, Becks! Why don’t you understand that?!”

“Oh please,” Becks shot back, her voice piquing.

“This is not just about us anymore. How am I supposed to keep you both safe and build the house and do everything I’m supposed to do here?” Jacob was getting heated now as if rehashing this part of the argument plagued him with immense anxiety.

“There’s nothing needing protecting, Jacob. Nothing happened to me last semester, and nothing will happen this semester.”

“No.” He said curtly.

“No?” Becks gave an incredulous laugh.

“You heard me: No.” Jacob said stubbornly.

“Jesus, Jake,” Becks replied, tired.

“I’m not comfortable with you leaving the rez, so no.”

“Real mature.”

“Becks—”

“Jake!” she shouted now and Maya jumped at the sound. “I have to go back to school, I have to finish out this semester, I have to do this before I can’t anymore. Do you understand that?! That’s it!”

There was a long pause and then, Jacob’s voice changed into a softer, begging tone.

“Please Becks…stay with me.”

Maya held her breath and clutched the grocery bags a bit tighter in anticipation. It felt like an eternity before Becks replied, her voice strained:

“Jake…I have to go.” Following this, Maya heard the shuffling of feet and then the door to the guest bedroom slamming. She scurried into the kitchen and dropped the bags on the counter, hurrying to unload them as she heard the pounding of Jacob’s feet coming down the stairs. As he rounded the corner into the kitchen, storming past her, Maya turned, feigning a look of surprise as she said:

“Hey, Jake…” But he didn’t pay her any mind as he opened the french double doors, pulling off his t-shirt and throwing it into the backyard as he bolted toward the tree line, the anger radiating and rippling off of him in visible shudders. An explosion of wood and branches outside of the open door indicated that he had phased and taken off in a hurry.

Maya continued to unload the groceries, trying to keep her face neutral even as she heard the softer, measured steps of Becks coming down the stairs. An exaggerated exhale of breath alerted Maya and she turned to give her a soft smile.

“Sorry,” Becks ran her hand through her shoulder-length messy black hair and gave Maya a truly apologetic look. Maya waved her off as she said,

“I take it he’s not wanting you to finish the spring semester?”

“You think?” Becks slumped into a chair at the kitchen table and looked longingly out the back door. Maya rolled her eyes and snorted.

“What does he think is going to happen, exactly? You’re going to get kidnapped by a bunch of vampires who suddenly know who you are?” Becks didn’t respond and Maya pursed her lips before turning back to continue unloading the groceries.

“I get why he wants me to stay. It’s easier to protect us here, his attention isn’t divided, and he can start his alpha duties, but—”

“Wait, Jacob’s going to be alpha?!” Maya interrupted, whipping around to stare at her wide-eyed.

“That’s what he said,” Becks let out a great sigh and rubbed her forehead. She was starting to look a little pale. Maya crossed over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a glass to fill with water. When she set it down in front of her, she took a seat in the chair across from her.

“Are you sure you’re doing okay?” Maya asked and then grimaced. She was trying to play it cool, as cool as she could manage anyway, but Becks looked tired, worn out, and like she was about to puke.

“I’m fine,” she said after taking a hearty gulp of water. “He’ll be fine, I’ll be fine, I just need to make it through this semester and then we can relax a little.” Becks absently placed her hand over her stomach and Maya’s eyes flitted down to it quickly. Becks rubbed her hand across her abdomen for a half a second before meeting Maya’s eyes and letting her hand fall to her knee.

“Becks, I—” Maya reached out across the table to take her hand, but a clattering of the front door and “My?” coming from the front door signaled Paul’s arrival.

A few seconds later he came into the kitchen and Maya withdrew her hand.

“Everything okay?” he asked curiously looking between the two women. Maya stood up from the table and walked back over to the remaining groceries with a quick “Yeah, fine.”

“I’m gonna go lay down,” Becks said, her voice overtired as she picked up her water glass and headed toward the stairs. Paul gave her a small smile and nodded watching her go for a second before turning back toward Maya. Once Becks’ footsteps had receded and the sound of the guest bedroom door had gently closed, Paul came up behind Maya and put a hand on her lower back.

“My?” He coaxed gently. Maya’s mouth was set in a firm line as she unpacked and shuffled items into their designated locations in the cabinets in front of her, “What happened?” Paul probed a little confused. Maya stopped suddenly and whirled around on him, hands on her hips:

“Were you going to tell me about Jacob taking over as alpha?” Paul’s eyes searched her face carefully but Maya tried to keep her expression neutral.

“Of course, babe, what—” Paul said tugging on her waist to pull her closer. Maya put her hand on his chest to steady herself as she felt heat rise to her face.

“He’s not going to let her leave the rez, Paul,” Maya said breathlessly. She stared at his chest for a moment and then raised her eyes to look at his face, expecting that stern, measured look of his. But instead she was met with softness, and a sweet smile that always set her heart racing. Paul raised his wide hand to cup her cheek, allowing his thumb to stroke the expanse of her cheek a few times before he said,

“If Becks is determined to go, there’s nothing he can do to make her stay. He knows that, he’s just stressed,” he paused to watch her eyes that no doubt matched in his softness now at his reassurance and then said, “You guys always forget that the imprint has more sway in this relationship than almost anything else. He won’t like it, but he’ll do what Becks asks.” Maya let out a huff of air and turned her head away from his hand and back at the groceries for a second. “You’re kind of cute when you’re flustered.” He mocked gently with a low laugh.

Maya turned back at him and pinned him with an annoyed stare that made him laugh out loud. He looped his arm around her shoulder and tugged her into his chest, hugging her tightly before kissing the top of her head.

“It’s gonna be okay, My,” he murmured against her head, swaying her back and forth slowly in his arms. Maya had her hands placed on the sides of his abdomen, her eyes trained toward the staircase where Becks had disappeared moments before.

A crescendo of closed car doors sounded as the foursome piled out of Maya’s jeep and into the clearing of Sam and Emily’s. Maya shrugged further into her coat and when she looked over her shoulder back at Becks, Jacob was already by her side and taking her hand in his. She smiled at him tautly and Maya walked around the front of the Jeep, casually taking Paul’s hand as he tugged her toward the door behind him.

Another farewell dinner, another impending goodbye. She sucked in a sharp breath to steady herself and quell the thrumming ache growing in her belly and buzzing up her spine, down her arm, and vibrating into Paul’s. He gave her a reassuring look as he opened the door and crossed the threshold, giving a loud “Party’s arrived!” to the already packed living room. Emily had insisted on another send off dinner for her, Becks, and Keye (who was currently wrapped up in Collin on the couch). But Maya was tired of goodbyes. Instead she saw this as an easy closing point for Jacob, and an obvious send off by his pack as well. Maya wondered if Emily had done this intentionally to show her support of Becks or if that was just a bonus.

Whatever the motivation, she was glad to have Becks’ back who was still adamant about leaving tomorrow morning along with Maya. Jacob and Becks had tried to keep their arguments to a minimum after Jake had returned later that day, but Paul and Maya could clearly feel the tension between them. Maya was still worried that Jacob was going to force Becks to stay even though he gave no indication of it. Still, she didn’t trust a rogue wolf—she firmly believed no one should.

Emily and Kim wrapped Becks in a hug and Kim held on a little bit longer, her eyes a fair bit misty. Maya raised an eyebrow at Keye who mouthed “Contact hormones” before rolling her eyes affectionately and bursting into giggles as Collin nuzzled into her neck.

“Hi, Maya,” Emily said gently as she pulled her into her arms and gave her a warm, welcoming hug.

“Hi,” Maya mumbled, still tucked in her coat and feeling warm.

“Ready for next semester?” Emily asked as she pulled back and retied her apron strings around her waist. Maya pulled off her coat as Paul grabbed for it while in conversation with Sam and Jared. Maya crossed and then uncrossed her arms , giving her head a hearty nod. She noticed Becks out of the corner of her eye, head bent toward Kim, one hand on her stomach and talking animatedly. She swallowed hard and stuffed her hands in her back pockets, heading toward the kitchen. Emily shook a saute pan of rice as Maya hoisted herself up on the counter and picked at some bread in a basket next to her.

“Are Jacob and Becks going to stay with you guys through the house building?” Emily asked nonchalantly, flitting from one task to the next. Maya glanced toward Becks fully now who was laughing, head thrown back, entirely too beautiful, her copper skin shimmering in the low light of the living room. Her heart ached for a moment that Becks hadn’t been able to share that joy with her.

Stupid. Maya bemoaned to herself. And then to Emily, she said,

“I think so. There’s not many places around the rez that meet Jacob’s standard of living for Becks at the moment.” She paused and looked down at her hands that gripped the counter too hard, “They’re welcome to stay as long as they like though.”

“That’s good,” Emily said in a relieved breath, “And I know what you mean. The housing revival project isn’t going as smoothly as Billy hoped so there’s less appropriate housing than usual. I think Paul said something about pulling in outside contractors he knew?” Emily looked over her shoulder interestedly at her and Maya’s eyes went wide.

“Did he?” she asked, completely out of the loop, “I wouldn’t know.” She replied a little exasperated.

“Oh, right. You’re probably swamped with school, makes sense,” Emily waved off. Maya bristled and then told herself to calm down. She couldn’t know everything that was happening on the rez and maintain her life at Columbia. There was just no way, so she shouldn’t get herself upset. Still…

“What am I doing?” Paul asked as he sauntered into the kitchen, gravitating toward Maya and gently pushing her legs apart to stand between them and plant a quick kiss to her lips. He let one hand rest on her thigh as he reached around her for some bread. His eyes watched her carefully as Maya leaned back on her hands and took him in with a skeptical look.

“The uh, the project for the housing expansion on the rez,” Emily confirmed distractedly. Paul continued to stare at Maya, amused, a smug smile coming across his face. Maya smiled back, unable to help herself and shook her head at him.

“That’s right, I am doing that. We should be getting quotes in a couple of weeks. But, I’ll talk down whatever price they bring to the table,” Paul rubbed Maya’s thigh with a firm touch and cocked his head to the side as if welcoming a challenge, an exchange. Maya shook her head and leaned forward, conceding to their silent conversation and letting her lips melt against his. He hummed his appreciation and slipped his hands up to grip her ribcage, making her gasp against his lips.

When Maya pulled back with a grin, she asked, “You were going to tell me all about that, weren’t you?”

“Of course, babe. On our way to the airport,” he said, still smug. She smacked his shoulder before pushing him back and hopping down off the counter to walk around him and help Emily who had become increasingly flustered in the kitchen.

The night was easy and slow as the warmth emanated from the hot-bodied men who gathered around in the living room, poking fun and cracking jokes. Maya was squished into the couch next to Keye and Becks as they shared a bag of wasabi peas. Embry was squaring off against two of the younger packmates and they were playfully clashing into one another, trying to three wrestle each other to the ground. Their bodies made frightening, heavy noises when they smashed into one another and Maya and Keye watched with wide eyes as Quil, Seth, and Jared laughed and goaded from the sidelines. Becks’ eyes were trained off toward the round kitchen table where Jacob, Sam, and Paul sat seemingly to talk earnestly, an absent hand over her stomach.

Embry swiped his foot at one of his packmates' ankles, bringing him thudding to the ground as he jumped on top of him and pinned him to the floor. The other boy followed suit piling on top of Embry to the cheers and laughter of Jared and Seth.

“Hey,” Maya nudged Becks’ shoulder with her own, catching her staring at the three serious leaders at the kitchen table. Becks shook her head and gave Maya a tight smile. “What are they talking about?” Maya asked, clearly having seen some sort of torn recognition in Becks’ face. Keye was glancing around Maya at Becks now, her face transforming into one of concern.

“Me, probably,” Becks said, sounding almost resigned. She looked down at her hand on her stomach for a half a second and then met Maya’s eyes.

“What, why?” Keye said, digging in the bag of wasabi peas and bringing a handful to her mouth. Maya continued to watch Becks carefully, her eyes flitting to the table every now and then. The men’s heads were seriously bent together, as Jacob shook his head looking stressed.

“Because I’m going back to school tomorrow and Jacob doesn’t want me to. And the council doesn’t want me to. And the pack doesn’t want me to. And my parents don’t want me to,” Becks voice was beginning to crack.

“The pack?” Maya said, her eyes skittering to glance quickly at Paul who was saying something to Jacob with a hard look in his eye.

“Emily basically tried to mom-guilt me about staying for Jacob’s sake,” Becks said. Maya’s eyes went wide in a flash.

“Why would she do that?” Maya breathed, shocked. Becks shook her head and stared back at the sparring boys in front of her in the living room.

“Everyone thinks it’s a bad idea for me to go. So, maybe I should just—,” Becks began to concede.

“No!” Keye and Maya nearly shouted in unison. Jacob, Sam, and Paul’s gaze shot up to stare at the women and Maya squirmed a little in annoyance under their gaze. She gave the most infinitesimal shake of her head at Paul and looked back to Becks who was staring, lips parted, almost pleading at Jacob.

“Becks,” Maya said. “This is your decision. No one else’s. Okay?” She placed a hand on her arm and Becks shifted her gaze toward her. She eventually nodded, still unsure and Maya’s heart momentarily broke. They didn’t have too long to sit in that feeling though because Collin and Embry stumbled sideways, losing their balance and falling toward the girls on the couch. Keye yelled as Embry caught himself before he nearly crushed Maya. Collin stumbled and fell back against the girls though eliciting a sharp hiss from Becks and a “OW, FUCK!” from Maya. Becks curled her hand and arm protectively around her stomach as Keye shoved Collin as hard as she could in annoyance.

“You fucking idiot!” Keye said as she tried to push him off. But suddenly, he was yanked with force from on top of them and thrown to the floor with a startling thud. Keye followed and jumped on top of Collin to hit him across his chest and shoulders as payback. Maya glanced at Becks and was opening her mouth to ask if she was okay, but Jacob was already there, kneeling in front of her and putting her face in his hands, a worried, strained look across his face. Becks winced as she sat up straight and Maya rubbed a sore spot on her ribcage where Collin had accidentally dug his elbow in when he fell.

“Becks?” Maya broached as she saw her breathe in sharply. Jacob was simmering with rage as he looked over Becks’ body. Collin was laughing, completely unaware of the exchange unfolding as Keye continued to whale on him. The sound of his laughter seemed to crack something in Jacob though and he dropped his hands from Becks’ face, standing in one swift motion and pulling Collin up roughly on his feet, sening Keye flailing back onto the ground on her butt.

It all happened so fast—one moment Collin was laughing on the floor and the next, Jacob had him slammed against the nearest wall, his forearm across his throat and pressing as he screamed, “ What the FUCK is your problem?! She’s fucking PREGNANT you idiot! Get your god damn head out of your ass or I’ll fucking rip you to shreds!”

“Jake!” Maya reacted as Collin choked and coughed, his face beginning to turn purple from the pressure. Paul was behind Jacob now with Seth trying to wrench him off of Collin with little luck.

“Jake chill! It was an accident!” Seth yelled trying to get Jacob’s attention. Sam was there now too trying to pull him off as well but Jacob’s head was gone. Becks sat stock still, in shock, her arm still wrapped around her, as she watched the man she loved completely switch to a side she’d never seen before.

Jacob pounded his other hand into the wall next to Collin’s face as he continued to yell, but the words were getting lost and jumbled. Paul yanked with all his might and was able to relieve some pressure off of Collin’s neck. He took the reprieve and gasped for air heartily. Jacob was thrashing against Seth, Paul, and Sam’s hold now as he shouted, “Get off of me!” He looked as if he wanted to kill them.

Maya didn’t know when she had gotten to her feet, but she found herself standing, fists clenched as she watched wide-eyed as Jacob lunged for Collin again, slipping from the men’s hold. He had to stop, he needed to stop. She looked over her shoulder at Becks who was hyperventilating, barely recognizing the man in front of her. Maya took two steps forward around the coffee table toward the scrambling men before she heard Paul shout, “Maya! Stay the fuck over there!”

She halted, shook to her core by his desperate rage as he tried to wrestle Jacob off of Collin again who’s eyes were rolling the back of his head.

“Get over here!” Sam shouted to the rest of the pack. Once Jared, Embry, Quil, and Brady joined, they were able to successfully pull Jacob off of Collin and wrestle him out the door and toward the treeline. The fresh air washed some of his anger and yanked free of their grasp in the cool night air, bringing his hands up to his head, looking frantic.

“What the fuck, Jake,” Embry said, breathless. As if realizing suddenly what he’d done, he tried to beeline for the front door again as he muttered, “Becks…”

Paul smashed against him, as the others crowded his back to block his way. “No. No way. Go cool off,” Paul said firmly pointing toward the treeline. Something broke in Jacob’s gaze as the reality of what he’d done dawned on him. With a frustrated growl he turned, ripping off his shirt as he bolted and disappeared into the treeline.

Paul and the others watched the breeze scrape empty branches against each other, their chests heaving.

Maya was frozen in place where Paul had told her to stay, her legs trembling as she watched Keye kneel in front of Collin who was rubbing his windpipe and still taking gulping breaths. Becks was surrounded by Emily, Kim, and Sadie. When Paul came through the door, Maya’s gaze shot to him immediately. He strode toward her, that same heated purpose that he usually wore on his face when he saw her. Her breath caught in her throat and when he cupped her face in his hands, looking over her face and body with a gentle scan she felt herself hold her breath. The sheer anger and visceral, feral rage that had permeated the room moments ago had left a damp feeling of sadness and shock.

Maya couldn’t quite find her voice but Paul understood, kissing her forehead for a long moment before saying gently, “Do me a favor—please don’t ever try to get in between something like that ever again. Understand?” His voice grew gruff and ragged with emotion on that last word.

Maya nodded her head quickly and he finally pulled her into a hug that she wanted to let herself be swallowed up by and disappear until next year. She’d have to settle for the next few minutes though because the urgent feeling to get Becks the hell out of here started to creep up the back of her neck.

It took some convincing, but Maya was able to get Emily to agree to let her take Becks back home with her since they were leaving in the morning anyway. Maya worried that if she left Becks at Emily’s, she wouldn’t leave La Push at all. The terror in her eyes started to tell another story on the way back home though. Maya kept glancing at Becks in the rear view mirror as Paul glided them quietly back to the blue home tucked in the corner of the reservation.

Becks was silent, her eyes watching the fluttering of the occasional street lamps run ominous shadows onto the slick streets.

Maya followed Becks inside the house and as she poised to go up the stairs, she let out a small, “Becks? You okay?”

Becks halted, her hand on the railing as she took some deep breaths to steady herself. In a shaky but assured voice, she replied, “I’m fine, My. I’ll see you in the morning.” With that, she ascended the stairs and Maya heard the soft click of the door to the guest room close. Paul was at her back, his hand resting on her hip as he leaned down and said softly against her temple, “I’m gonna give Sam a call. Go lay down and I’ll be up in a minute,” he kissed her temple and moved around her to head out the back door as he pulled out his phone.

Maya stood frozen in the entryway twisting her hands around themselves as she watched him go. The physical anger that had roiled off of Jacob this evening had been frightening. She was sure Becks had never seen that side of him and for what? For one of his brothers accidentally falling on his pregnant girlfriend? It made no sense to Maya. Even if he was under such intense stress with the thought of Becks leaving, this reaction was too much.

Where do they go from here? She knew that Paul had a history of troubled anger but had he ever lost it like that? Did all of the pack have that same potential to unleash that kind of rage or was it just Jacob? Was it just a perfect storm of tension, upset, and unsettled conflict that led to it? Maya felt her feet move underneath her as she floated up to her and Paul’s bedroom. The enormity of their abilities, their strength, and just how far they could go to protect not just their imprints but anyone was suddenly laid bare for Maya. They could kill. Suddenly, things felt so much bigger than they had before. As she undressed and pulled on some loose sleep shorts and one of Paul’s shirts, she thought back to that night she had left the reservation to go the warehouse party with Sadie, Becks, and Keye. She remembered how Paul had showed up at just the right time to wrench that guy off of her and had beaten him within an inch of his life. He might have killed him if Seth hadn’t been there.

Did that make him a monster? Should she fear that strength? That ability to kill even if it would never be directed at her? Were they all a short fuse waiting to be lit? And what felt worse was that if they were these dangerous creatures simmering just under the surface, she understood that nothing could take her away from them. She loved Paul, unwaveringly so. And seeing this side of Jacob tonight meant that Becks, despite any fear or trepidation, loved him still.

When Paul quietly opened the door to their room and changed into some simple sweats before climbing into bed next to her, she turned toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him forward to her lips. He held her tightly against him, his hands squeezing her waist as her hips pitched forward to meet his. Maya heard the low growl sound in his throat signaling the hardening need between them and she knew she’d give him everything. Anything this man wanted her to give, she would try to give it to him—love, friendship, trust, babies, comfort, anything. Everything in her responded to everything he communicated.

Her hand coasted down the naked expanse of his hard chest, slipping under the waistband of his sweats and taking his thick overwhelming length in her hand. He stuttered a moan against her lips as she began to stroke him, pulling him out of the top of his sweats. She felt his hands tighten to a bruising degree against her ribs and then loosen. The feeling of it sent a tingle down her spine, spreading through her core. Maya’s thumb smoothed over the head of his length, spreading the bead of moisture around and down him as he continued to grace her with his heady moans. He yanked the shorts down her body and leaned over her so she was slotted beneath him. Naturally, he pushed his hips forward and Maya canted hers up, lining him up neatly against her core. He pushed up on a forearm so he could more easily pull the shirt she was wearing off, leaving her naked. He always needed her completely naked so he could drink in every inch of skin, watch the rise and fall of her breasts as she spiraled toward orgasm and see the line of her hips press against his. Paul gave her body one long look of appreciation, leaning down to kiss across her shoulder and the hollow of her throat before leaning up, spreading her further apart so he could bottom out into her in one hard push. Maya let her mouth hang open in a prolonged gasp as she felt him stretch her apart, filling her completely.

And with the unspoken fear still lodged in her throat, she let him claim her. As he rocked into her slowly, making sure to fully remove himself before sliding all the way back in, she knew she would let him take what was hers to give again and again. This love and heat and carefully buried fear of this man who was working between her legs, who would give her everything, and expect the same was it. Monster or not, Maya was in love with all of it. And as he pressed into her faster, pulling her toward a sweeping crescendo, she watched the wracking pleasure and hedonistic lust on his face transform into one of everlasting adoration. Maya’s mouth fell slack and she cried out a moan too loud for the evening. So when he clamped his hand gently over her mouth to quiet her as he edged her toward her orgasm she let that feeling of overwhelming love rush through her, comforted by the fact that this man would only ever be hers. Mine.

Maya held Becks hand as they walked slowly through the SeaTac airport. Paul walked a few paces behind them, his eyes traveling around the terminal and lazily back to his phone as if he was waiting for a call he didn’t care would come or not.

When they had woken up that morning, Becks hadn’t mentioned Jacob. She hadn’t said much at all. But her suitcases were ready by the front door of the guest room, ready for Paul to ferry them to the car. Maya had asked Paul if he had heard anything or if Jacob would be showing up to send them off but he had shaken his head, showing her the texts between him and Sam about his whereabouts.

It was almost as if Becks knew, so Maya thought that maybe Jacob had contacted her to tell her to go or that he was sorry or that he would give her space or whatever she needed. She was honestly relieved if she was being honest, because if that was the case then Becks could return to Northwestern one last time before her life inevitably changed forever. As they approached Becks’ gate though, that relief evaporated. Jacob towered over the heads of the other travelers as he scanned the crowd for his imprint. His eyes looked soft, sullen, resigned, but his face was pulled with tiredness, the dark circles under his eyes darkening the chocolate brown of his irises. Maya gulped and felt Becks pause beside her. Immediately she shot her a look to garner their next move—should they run or get out of sight before Jacob saw? Maybe Paul could run interference, say Becks got on an earlier flight and she was already gone. But Becks was looking straight ahead, her eyes almost calling out to Jacob’s and he answered the call almost immediately. He took one step forward as if to run toward her but then stopped, thinking better of it and waited until she began walking toward him.

Maya let go of her hand and let her walk forward with her, Paul taking Becks’ place and filling her hand with his quickly. The soothing warmth lulled her panic somewhat as she watched Becks come to a stop in front of Jacob. Neither of them said anything for a long moment—they just stared at one another as if the short time apart during this upset had been more like months or years. And finally, Maya watched as Jacob raised his broad hand to cup Becks’ cheek, his tired eyes glimmering with unshed tears as he said the words “I’m so sorry.”

Paul tugged Maya closer to him and she obliged. Becks fell into Jacob’s arms as the sobs shook her shoulders. Jacob leaned his head over hers and continued to mumble apologies and promises. He would be forgiven, because there was no other choice. But Maya knew even if there was one, Becks would forgive him because that was the person she was. No matter what rage or violence she witnessed in the man she loved, she would choose to see what mattered. She’d forgive him his past if he’d share it with her. For now, though, this could be enough.

Maya watched with bated breath as the overcom announced that Becks’ flight was beginning boarding. Jacob had Becks’ face cradled in both hands, speaking with her earnestly. Becks was shaking her head softly but Maya couldn’t see her face. She looked up at Paul whose mouth was set in a hard line as he watched. That look pitched her stomach with anxiety and she looked back at Becks silently chanting for her to go. Jacob leaned down to kiss Becks in earnest now as she brought a hand to his face to catch a tear that had escaped. When they finally pulled apart after what felt like an eternity, Becks nodded. Maya inhaled sharply and looked up at Paul for anything, any sense of what was going on. He glanced down at her and gave the smallest shake of his head.

What?! Maya’s mind was racing. But when she looked back, Jacob had pulled Becks into a crushing hug, openly sobbing now as he held her. This didn’t look good.

After another moment of them holding tightly to one another, Becks took a step back and then…amazingly, walked around Jacob toward the door to the gate. Jacob turned to watch her go, his sobs wracking his entire body in a soul-splitting pain that Maya had trouble watching. But when Becks turned to give him one last look, she gave a weak smile and blew him a kiss. And then, she left. Jacob stood there, hands tangled in his hair as he dissolved into a complete mess. Maya felt her cheeks and realized they were wet. When had she started crying? The immense heartbreak she had just witnessed almost crumbled her own resolve to leave this time, but Paul pulled her into a tight hug and steered her away from Becks’ gate and down the terminal toward her own.

“You’ll look after him, right?” Maya nearly choked. Paul nodded, giving her a small, sad smile.

“Of course, My,” he promised. “He’s going to be fine.”

Maybe they were too distracted with the devastating departure of Becks and Jacob, but leaving Paul this time didn’t feel so bad. He held her a little bit longer than normal and buried his face into her hair, taking deep inhaling breaths to capture her scent just a little bit longer. But when he let her go this time, Maya felt solid.

Three months later…

Maya was typing as fast as she could in her Geotechnical Engineering course on a balmy April afternoon. It felt like her professor was talking a million miles an hour and she could start to feel a familiar knot in her neck tighten. Maya was swamped to say the least. Between four overwhelming courses, looming finals, and her advisor pressing her to submit applications for prospective internships to pursue her sophomore and junior year, she hadn’t slept much.

She had never felt this much stress before and that was coming from someone who had had little to no free time thanks to her overzealous, community-minded mother since she was 4. Spring break had come and gone so quickly and she had tried her best to hold onto the carefree feeling she had as she spent an entire week uninterrupted with Paul in New York. They had spent their time going out to lunch and dinner, watching movies in the rented townhouse, and making love on the rooftop terrace. It had been nothing short of magical, but in the month since, Maya felt like she hadn’t had any time to catch her breath, much less talk to Paul.

The ache in her stomach was a constant presence and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t on the verge of tears most nights with the stress, the quick texts before bed, and the missed phone calls. But she wasn’t going to let it get to her. She was almost through her first year at Columbia and she could push through a few more weeks before getting back to normal on the rez.

Well, as close to normal as you could get with your best friend due to have a baby that summer at 19.

Maya glanced up at the shifting slides on the overhead projector and suddenly felt light headed. She was completely lost in the lecture now even though she had been scrambling to keep up. Suddenly, she felt nauseous. Maya groaned internally and closed her eyes tight trying to get a grip. Her eyes darted up to the clock above the projector—only 15 minutes to go and then she could make it back to her dorm and lay down for a minute, maybe call Paul, and relax.

Maybe.

Twenty-five minutes later, Maya shut the door to her and Beez’s dorm and leaned back against it. A pitiful groan sounded from underneath a pile of blankets on Beez’s bed.

“You okay?” Maya said, panting as if she was out of breath. The roiling in her stomach still hadn’t settled and she placed a tentative hand over her stomach, hoping it would quell the upset and stress that bubbled there.

“Eeeegnnhh, nooooo,” Beez whined.

“What’s wrong?” Maya said as she tried to walk over to her bed slowly before sitting on the edge, “You sick?”

“Nooo, it’s my fucking period,” Beez moaned.

“Again?” Maya said flopping back onto her back and staring up at the ceiling trying to count the holes in the ceiling tiles to distract herself from the mounting nausea.

“Uh yeah, that’s the point. It comes every month like a bat out of hell sent to drag me to…hell,” Beez finished with a groan. Maya narrowed her eyes and tried concentrating on what Beez had just said.

“It hasn’t been a month, though,” Maya said after a beat.

“What?” Beez said peeking her head out from under the covers. Maya leaned up on her elbows and looked toward Beez with a wince.

“It hasn’t been a whole month has it?” She asked again.

“Uh, yeah, it has. I think I’d know,” Beez said grumpily. Maya glanced back up at the ceiling mentally counting out the weeks. It hadn’t really been a month had it? Maya had been so distracted with class and keeping her head above water that she couldn’t remember…the last time she’d had her period.

She wracked her very full brain, shuffling around the structural analysis formulas and geotechnical principles to see if she could remember. Paul had been out here a month ago for spring break and she hadn’t had it then…she remembered having it shortly after she got back to school, but after that, it was all a blur. The nausea swelled within her again as panic pounded her brain.

There was no way. No way in hell this was happening. She couldn’t even say the words in her head

“Maya?” Beez said from underneath her comforter.

“Mm?” Maya said shortly.

“Do we have any aspirin?” she groaned. But Maya didn’t answer. Next to her, her phone started to ring, flashing with a picture of Paul. For the first time though, Maya couldn’t bring herself to answer him right away.

[Voicemail: 4/28, 8:34 p.m.]

Hey My, it’s Paul. Just trying to catch you. I haven’t heard your voice in a couple of days and I just wanted to…to hear you. Listen, babe, I know we’ve both been busy and I know I’ve missed some calls because I’ve been caught up with this house stuff for Jacob and Becks and the new baby, but…when you come home, I promise things will slow down. I love you. Call me back. Okay…bye babe.

Maya clicked to save the voicemail from Paul and then quickly pocketed her phone back in her pocket as she strode forward in the cool night air. The last week had been her just going through the motions. Ignoring the mounting stress as best she could and burying the near persistent nausea building in her stomach, Maya pushed ahead toward finals.

But deep down, she knew she couldn’t put this off forever. If she was…she swallowed thickly unable to bring herself to think of the word, then what then? She was desperate not to think about it anymore. As the lights of the campus infirmary came into view though, Maya couldn’t put off the unknown any longer. When she left her dorm that night she had intended on heading to the library and to study until her brain went blissfully numb. When her phone had lit up for the third time that day with Paul’s warm and comforting face however, she had changed course.

Whatever happened, she’d deal with it. But she didn’t have to deal with it alone, so why was she leaving Paul on read and unanswered in her inbox? The bright lights of the infirmary washed over her as she headed toward the reception desk to the student aid behind the counter.

“Hello,” she said in a kind, tired voice. “What can I help you with?”

“Um,” Maya fidgeted her hands on the top of the counter and leaned in a little to keep her voice hushed even though the small lobby of the infirmary was empty save for one student. “I need to do a pregnancy test.” Maya flushed red and watched as the almost bored looking student aid gather paperwork on a clipboard and slid it across the desk toward her.

“Okay, no problem. Fill this info out and return it when you’re done. We’ll get you back in a few minutes. They don’t take very long,” she said. Maya stalled holding the clipboard limply in her hands and staring open-mouthed at the student aid, “Let me know if you have any questions though.” The aid reassured her.

Maya snapped out of it and nodded, walking toward a close chair and sinking into it. As she filled out the necessary information, her heart ratcheted up in her chest. I should call Paul, she thought involuntarily. She should call Paul. But she knew if she did he would panic and do everything he could to get to her before she even found out the result. The irony that only six months later she was sitting in such a similar situation to Becks did not escape her. Did Becks also feel this scared, this unsure about what she’d do next? Did all she want was her imprint by her side to tell her it would be okay and that they would do everything they needed to do and whatever felt right?

She must have.

“Maya Sunriviere?” The nurse called from a doorway behind the reception desk. Maya’s head shot up. When had the clipboard disappeared from her hands and ended up in the nurse’s? Maya got up on unsteady legs and followed her back into an exam room. The questions offered by the nurse floated in and out of her head. She must have answered them though because the next thing she knew she was being ushered toward a private bathroom with a cup in hand.

Time was moving too quickly and skipping ahead, but when she found herself back in the exam room, everything slowed down to a torturous pace. She pulled out her phone and checked the time. Only two minutes had ticked by but it had felt like an eternity. Maya absently swung her feet as she sat on the exam table letting her mind mingle with thoughts of Paul, her, and the potential of…no. She wouldn’t let herself go there, not yet, not when she didn’t even know what she wanted.

But what if she didn’t want…it? What if she wasn’t ready? For once, Maya didn’t know how Paul would react to something like that. If she didn’t want that with him right now, how would he react? Would he support her or drag her home? The council would have her head if she tried to deviate any further than what she already had.

Maya felt herself beginning to hope beyond hope that this wasn’t real and that she’d wake up in bed and laugh at herself. She began to hope that it wasn’t a possibility. But there was a small voice in the back of her head saying otherwise.

Maya glanced down at her phone again. Five whole minutes had passed and the room felt colder. Just as she released a great sigh and was about to start pacing her phone vibrated causing her to jump. Paul’s broad smile shone up at her and in a daze, her trembling fingers pressed answer.

Even as she pressed the phone to her ear, she knew it was a mistake.

“Hello?” she said, her voice sounding stronger than she thought it would sound.

“My? Oh, baby it’s so good to hear your voice,” Paul’s warm voice vibrated across thousands of miles and echoed in her ear. She felt immediately soothed by it and couldn’t help closing her eyes at the sound. “Where have you been?”

“I-I…I’ve just been studying babe, I’m sorry. It’s been…t-totally crazy,” she stuttered. She needed to get a grip.

“My…” Too late. “What’s wrong? You okay?” The stress was evident in his voice. The timbre took on a rougher scratch that pressed it’s urgency on her.

“Yeah, fine,” she quipped. There was a deadened silence on the other end and Maya held her breath as her eyes darted about the room. She couldn’t tell him, not now when she didn’t even know herself. Why the fuck did she answer the fucking phone? “Paul, really. I’m fine, just tired. It’s….been a long week and I—”

“Are you okay? You sound…”

“Baby, yes. I’m fine. I’m….in my dorm with Beez. I’m fine,” she said, not wholly convincing anyone. Paul let out a sigh on the other end and seemed to be taking a moment to measure his words.

“I’m sorry. I know this time apart has been hard and you’re so stressed. I’m probably picking up on that. You just sound…off,” Maya was almost annoyed at the accuracy at which he had her pegged. She felt bad that she wasn’t telling him where she was right at this moment and how scared she had been just a few moments ago. And now…now she felt lighter, safe. It still took her off guard the effect he had on her sometimes.

“Oh,” she said, a little breathless, “No..no I’m fine. It’s nothing I just…I wasn’t feeling well and I went to the infirmary and I—” A knock sounded on the outside of the exam room and the nurse peeked in.

“Maya?” she said gently with a smile. Maya’s mouth hung open mid-sentence as the phone slipped off her ear and onto her shoulder.

“You went to the infirmary? Are you sick? Baby?” she could hear Paul’s voice echo on the phone.

“Yes,” Maya answered, her throat dry now as the nurse clicked the door softly shut behind her and consulted her clipboard.

“Maya? Are you there?” Paul continued, his voice hinting at a panic.

“We’ve got the results of your pregnancy test,” the nurse said, consulting her clipboard. Maya swallowed hard. This was it. Her heart hammered in her chest and as she watched the nurse’s lips form the words: “Negative.”

“Negative?” Maya repeated. “As in..”

“As in not pregnant,” the nurse confirmed. Maya could have fallen through the floor with the relief that crushed her in that moment.

“Thank you,” Maya breathed. The nurse nodded and left the room.

“My?!” Paul shouted. She brought the phone back up to her ear, “What’s negative?!” Maya was stunned and her voice had disappeared. The only words she could muster as the pain in her belly subsided into one of overwhelming relief was:

“Can I call you back?”

“What?!” Paul shouted, the anger clearly ebbing around his concern. Maya ended the call and let her arm fall slack at her side.

“Fuck,” she breathed out as she broke into a sob of relief.

Next > >

[marsbutterfly]

may i request a levi x reader oneshot? maybe like a hurt/comfort something

tyyyy have a nice day <3

Late Night Lullaby

Summary: After a failed mission beyond the walls, you find yourself being unable to sleep. Lucky for you, the door to Levi's office is always open.

                                     Wattpad Version! | AO3 Version!

Another day, another failed mission outside the walls. Except this time you could still feel the titan’s strong grip around your waist, pulling your body towards its massive mouth. 

The cold sweat mixed with the drops of rain drips down your face, a bit of blood warming them up. If it wasn’t for Levi, at this time you would not even be here, you would be inside the titan’s stomach, your body dissolving before it is thrown back up.

Levi has always made sure you came back alive from every mission, even when you were still in the cadet corps. He would always look for you amongst the dead bodies and, once he noticed you weren’t there, he silently hoped that you were alive and not lost somewhere..

You’ve gotten close to death a good few times but something about this one was different. Maybe how close you actually got to being swallowed or because the only reason you nearly died is because of your own mistakes, either way the fear and guilt are still present in your mind.

Days have passed since then but the horrors you see when you close your eyes are very much still there.

When you realize it is yet again past curfew and you can’t close your eyes without being filled with a concerning amount of panic, you decide to head towards Captain Levi’s office in the hopes that he would be able to provide you with any form of comfort.

Quietly, you knock on the door a few times in a familiarly rhythmic way to let him know you are the one on the other side.

“Come in.” His voice is quiet but firm. 

When you open the door, you are received by the image of Levi’s face being illuminated by the candles. His hair is messy, like he has been running his fingers through it in an attempt to focus, the bags underneath his eyes telling you the story of how he hasn’t slept in days.

“You look like shit.” You say and he rolls his eyes, placing down the papers that once rested in his hands as he turns his head to look at you.

But before he has the time to call you a brat or say anything teasingly in return, he notices the tears in your eyes and the slight tremble on your bottom lip and hands. He sighs heavily before standing up, heading towards his unused bed.

You don’t have time to say another word before he wraps you in his blanket, covering you from your head to your toes. You smirk among the tears and you can feel his arms wrapping around you as he places your face on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, smelling your skin through the cloth of the blanket. 

“I can’t close my eyes anymore.” You say, nuzzling your face against him. Levi lets out a sigh and you can feel as he picks you up. Your head rests on one of his arms while your feet tangle from the other one.

You yelp but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he takes you towards his bed and places you as gently as he possibly can as if you were a doll made out of thin porcelain.

He places your head on the cold surface of the pillow and you clutch to his shirt, puppy eyes desperately pleading for him to not leave you alone. Levi plants a soft kiss on your hand before bringing his hand to your face.

His thumb brushes against the tears that stream down your cheeks and he whispers, “You’re going to be ok. I’ll be right back with something that might help soothe your nerves.”

When the door opens, a cold air current comes from the hallway made of stone and a chill travels down your skin. You pull Levi’s blanket tightly above your chest while looking for any kind of support in his absence. 

The trees dance with the wind outside the window, the shadows tormenting you. With wide eyes, you look around the room constantly making sure no titan has made its way inside the barricades.

You can still hear it in the distance: the screams of your fallen comrades who lost their lives because you used the wrong smoke signal. Because of a stupid mistake you’ve made in a moment where it mattered the most.

The burden you carry from their lives, how were you allowed to live while their families just lost someone important? How were you allowed to come back when half the bodies didn’t? Why were you the only one?

Once you realize Levi has been gone for quite a while, paranoia starts to settle in and you are convinced something bad has happened to him. The worst part is that you don’t even know where he went so you can’t go looking.

You are fully aware that he is humanity’s strongest soldier but yet you can shake off the anxiety that comes with thinking that he was somehow killed or kidnapped on his way towards wherever he was going.

Even without knowing where he is, you decide enough is enough and the worry is too much to bear. So in an impulse, you drop the blanket from your shoulders and rush to the door, turning the knob and pulling it open in one swift move but there he stands.

Two cups of tea in his hands and the lantern hanging from his teeth, his foot is up in the air as if he was about to use it to kick open the wooden door. It takes a second but you finally realize he needs assistance so you remove the light from his lips. 

He thanks you while you guide him towards the table resting by one of the windows. You place the lantern on the surface, far away from his papers, before Levi hands you a cup.

“It’s a very soothing tea, it’s called…” He says but you cut him off as politely as possible.

“Chamomile.” You smile softly, “How were you able to get this? It’s so incredibly rare.”

“I have my connections in the underground, directly from the stash on its way to the richer families who don’t know anything about appreciating good tea when they see it.” He replies, picking his cup up with the tip of his fingers.

Levi pulls the chair further up a bit as an invitation for you to sit and you gladly take it.

Your image is reflected on his cup and you notice how awful you look: your hair is now a tangled mess, the round circles underneath your eyes seem to get darker by the hour and you can’t even remember when was the last time you had brushed your teeth. 

To keep those thoughts away, you take a sip of the sweet liquid. The warmth brings a comforting sensation to your chest and you feel as if your favorite person in the entire world has wrapped their arms around you.

It takes you a second to realize that he did, in fact, hug you from behind. The tea is still in one of his hands while the other holds your shoulders tightly close to his chest.

You feel the warmth of a few new tears as they make their way past your eyes. He doesn’t say anything nor does he need to, all you need in that moment is to feel protected and cared for and Levi has always been the best at providing you with that feeling.

He puts the cup down before kneeling beside you. He places his hand on your cheek and, with his thumb, brushes away the stubborn tears. 

“You are safe now.” He says and you nod, feeling as he places his forehead against yours.

After moving away, he silently tilts his head towards the tea in your hands. You take a sip after the other until the contents of the cup have all disappeared. Once you place the cup down, Levi takes your hand and guides you towards his bed.

The blanket he once put above you now rests on his lap and he immediately uses it to shield your body from the chilly wind that comes through a crack on the window. 

He wraps his arm around you, gently pulling you closer to him until there is no space whatsoever between your bodies. He is warm but especially his hands which touch you so delicately that you feel like a rare flower.

His face is buried on the back of your neck and you can feel his breath against your skin, awakening butterflies in your stomach in a way you have never felt before. But then again, Levi is quite the master of providing you with new sensations.

You can hear the footsteps outside the room coming from soldiers who patrol the hallways making sure everyone is safe. You can hear the flame of the candle as it dances with the wind. You focus on the sound of Levi’s deep breaths before he begins to hum a melody.

It’s a song you have never heard before and yet it feels so familiar. You feel the vibration coming from his throat and you smile, nuzzling your face against his hand. The melody is soothing and you can feel the peace radiating from the man behind you.

Your eyelids are now as heavy as bags of sand. Even with a wordless lullaby, Levi has managed to wash you with a sense of peace and tranquility. While one of his arms is still wrapped around you, the other reaches for your hair as he plays with the wild strands, combing your hair in the process.

“Where did you learn this song?” You ask quietly and you can feel as he smiles before planting a kiss on your head.

“My mother would sing it to me when I was younger.” He says, “It was the only thing that would help me fall asleep.”

“It’s a beautiful melody.” You acknowledge and he nods.

“Not as beautiful as you.” He says and you can feel a happy smile taking over your lips. In this moment, you have forgotten all about the dangerous situation you had just been put in earlier in the day, all that matters is this moment with Levi. “Blow the candle, let’s get you some sleep.”

You do as he says, quickly returning to his embrace. “Thank you for saving me.”

“I will never let anything bad happen to you.” He whispers softly in response. You close your eyes, focusing once again on his breathing. 

Before you have time to fall asleep, you realize his grip around you has loosen up a bit and his breathing has a little more rhythm to it. You realize he has fallen asleep and you can’t help but smile.

You turn around to face him, carefully moving so he won’t wake up. You plant a kiss on his forehead before nuzzling your head on his chest, feeling as he pulls you closer to him in his sleep like you were his teddy bear.

For the first time, you are able to close your eyes and see a beautiful image of Levi taking care of you and you quietly begin hum the song he introduced you to, only stopping when you fall asleep in his arms.

A lullaby is a song known to put people to sleep and, thanks to Levi, you have now found a way to prevent the demons from your past from getting to you during bedtime.